ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — “Losing Nyx was devastating to all of us.”
Sarah Robbins is a vet tech at Dogwood Pet Hospital in Loves Park. She says the staff at Dogwood had a close relationship to Rockford Police K9 Nyx, who was tragically shot and killed on January 28 during a shootout.
“Any of the K9s and the handlers, they come here, they become family to us,” Robbins said. “So it was like losing a family member. I mean, we were all devastated by it. It wasn’t something that we thought would happen.”
Dogwood cares for all members of Rockford’s K9 unit. In the wake of Nyx’s passing, they teamed up with local nonprofit Friends of Rockford Police K9 to create T-shirts in honor of the fallen officer.
“We decided to do the shirts for Nyx, we provide all the care for the Rockford Police K9 Unit,” said Robbins, who is also a board member for Friends of Rockford Police K9. “So we decided we wanted to find a way to raise money. We chose to do shirts, it’s all online and you can order them online, have them shipped and pick them up.”