Partner, Jeffco will miss top-notch bomb dog Muci

Charley Able, Rocky Mountain News

Published November 29, 2006 at midnight

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GOLDEN - Sheriff's Deputy Neil Gardner planned to retire to his Western Slope ranch with his police dog Muci at year's end.

But now Gardner will finish his 24 years of service to Jefferson County without his longtime partner.

Muci died last weekend, apparently passing peacefully in his sleep, after seven years of ensuring the public's safety.

When Muci was found dead early Sunday, Gardner was away at the ranch, one of the few times he had gone there without his companion.

"It's going to be hard when I actually get home and go the kennel and he's not there," Gardner said Tuesday. "He was a special dog."

Muci underwent surgery three weeks ago to have a tumor removed from his spleen and seemed to have bounced back, returning to work within days.

Muci's last day on the job was Friday, less than two days before he died.

Muci was a top-notch bomb dog, recognized in 2005 as the explosive-detection dog of the year by the Colorado Police Canine Association.

"Every time he had a certification (test), he never missed one explosive," Gardner said.

The dog's first assignment was at Columbine High School in 1999 after students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 of their schoolmates and a teacher before killing themselves.

At the time, Gardner was the school resource officer at Columbine. About a year and a half later, though, Muci's previous handler changed jobs and Muci and Gardner partnered up.

Muci's sensitive nose uncovered two potentially lethal situations, one at a former business in Golden where the dog found an old cache of dynamite and again at a storage unit where he alerted investigators of the presence of explosives, ammunition and gunpowder.

The Gardner-Muci partnership continued off-duty as well, with Muci quickly becoming a member of the Gardner family, which includes three other dogs.

Muci offered unbridled devotion and a sense of security for Gardner's five daughters and two sons.

"A lot of times, if we weren't home and the girls were scared at night, they would bring Muci in the house," Gardner said.

Muci, a 10-year-old mix known as a Dutch shepherd, spent his last years patrolling the hallways of the county's Administration and Courts Building, where his friendly nature and affectionate ways captured a number of hearts.

"You never quite know the worth of your dog. You know he's a special dog, but the way he touched people was quite amazing, actually," Gardner said.

News of Muci's death brought tears to the eyes of a number of county employees, including Julie Gasparovich, who works at the information desk in the atrium of the county building.

"He was just a wonderful dog, an asset to the sheriff's department," Gasparovich said. "You could see how people would radiate to him. They ask about him all the time. He was a sweetie, and I am going to miss him."

Pat Holloway, former Jefferson County Commissioner, fell for -Muci the first time they met, in the hallways of the county building.

"There aren't many dogs like him; Muci was really special," Holloway said. "He was beautiful, and he had a personality.

"Many times I would just sit on the floor with him and rub him. He would lay there and cuddle with you. He was a totally different dog . . . than when he was working."

ablec@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5020

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