Gordon County Sheriff Deputy Dale Pullen and wife Deena said goodbye to K-9 deputy Simba Thursday, March 14, in a memorial service for the K-9 partner.

Nine year old Simba, a Malinois Belgian, began his service with the Gordon County Sheriff’s Office in June 2009, and succumbed to cancer on March 4, 2013.

Pullen accepted recognition by Sheriff Mitch Ralston in honor of Simba’s service to the Gordon County Community. In his career, Simba was not only responsible for many felony arrests and the seizure of hundreds of pounds of marijuana and chemical drugs, he also aided in the education of students in the county school system, according to Ralston’s decree of recognition.

“He was strictly business,” said Pullen of his fallen partner. “He always wanted to work.” Pullen explained Simba was very much a member of the family for eight years and often slept in the bed with he and his wife, just like a child. Pullen continued on to say Simba would be greatly missed.

Ralston recalled Simba’s ‘talkative’ nature.

“Simba was one of those faithful dogs that if you ever listened to a scanner, you could probably hear him on a traffic stop when Dale keyed up,” said Ralston.

Pullen will receive a new K-9 partner, a German Shepherd named Bach, in four to five weeks. Pullen recently traveled to a facility in Pennsylvania to explore options for another K-9 partner. Bach is one and a half years old. Bach will become not only Pullen’s new partner, but a member of Pullen’s family.

“I am glad that Dale has chosen to continue being a K-9 partner because it is not only a K-9 partner, they are a family member because these officers, these dogs, these K-9’s they go home with you and they become a very important part of your family,” said Ralston. “I think it’s important because these dogs, they protect these officers and they take drugs off the street which keeps our community safe and I think its important that we recognize them just as if we would recognize our human partners in this efforts.”