A public funeral will be held for Marek, a K9 who served with the Knox County Sheriff's Office, the Rockland Police Department, and beyond since 2019 before being sidelined for medical reasons and officially retiring in December 2024. Having eventually developed cancer, Marek passed away at home last night.

Rockland Police will be holding a public service for Marek. The service will take place Wednesday, June 25, at 11 a.m., at Burpee Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home in Rockland.

Marek wasn't born to be a member of a mild-mannered family. Fortunately, his Weld breeder, who is also a K9 trainer, saw potential in Marek as a working canine. He also knew that Tim Davis, of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, was looking for a four-legged partner. The two of them served well together, and brought their service to the community.

According to Rockland Police Dept.'s Facebook page, during Marek’s 5 years of service, he was deployed over 300 times, helping locate numerous criminal suspects, lost individuals, evidence, and illegal drugs.

"Marek’s career is full of highlights, including locating a suicidal teen who had run into the woods with a knife; helping apprehend a Domestic Violence suspect who was hiding in a house with a gun and recovering a knife that was thrown into the woods after a stabbing," said RPD.

"During Marek’s time in Rockland his list of accomplishments did not stop," said the post. "In just a year and a half, Marek was deployed 56 times resulting in 12 people located on tracks, assisting in 21 arrests and 21 drug seizures, with the largest being 200 grams of narcotics."

See previous Pen Bay Pilot articles:

Knox County K9 flies virtually as he keeps his nose to the ground 

K9 Marek rises to semifinals in America’s Top Dog category

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com