“Blue” served as an Atlanta SWAT K9 Officer and was killed in the line of duty. Not long after his passing in the Fall of 2020, I received a commission to paint this beloved hero. It was my first dog portrait and I hope I was able to do him justice. Blue’s training saved three human officers and he will be long remembered by the Gwinnett County Police Department.

Below is an excerpt from the CBS46 news articled published September 11, 2020: “ Service to be held Tuesday for Gwinnett K9 officer killed in the line of duty.”

K9 Blue, the department's first full-time SWAT K9, died when he was shot during gunfire between police and a suspect. Blue tracked down the suspect in the woods before police said the suspect fired at officers. The suspect was also shot and killed.

"When you have a K9 partner, that is a special relationship. These dogs are relied on as a work partner but it's hard, it's impossible to not get attached," said Lt. Jason Teague, the assistant SWAT commander. "He paid the ultimate price, he sacrificed himself to save those SWAT officers, that’s next level.”

Five-year-old Blue had been with the Gwinnett County Police Department for a little more than a year after they conducted a nationwide search. He went through years of extra training to be a SWAT K9. He's described as very sociable and was selected for his demeanor.

"His key attribute was the ability to work in a team environment under control by just about anybody on the team," said Teague.

The SWAT team will miss their teammate, but Teague said they learned a lot from working with Blue and look forward to continuing to have SWAT K9s.

"They question nothing and in the end that dedication from the K9 and the dedication from the handler putting all the work into the K9, it saved everyone’s lives yesterday without a doubt," he said.

Donations in Blue's name can be made to the Georgia Police K9 Foundation, which raises money to buy protective equipment for police dogs.