MANHATTAN -With a heavy heart, the Riley County Police Department on Friday announced in a media release the passing of K9 Dino.

He had experienced deteriorating health issues due to his age.

The police department announced Dino’s retirement in December 2014 after a career of 11 years serving the Manhattan and Riley County community.

Dino spent his retirement at home with his handler, Officer Aaron Wright and family.

Dino and Officer Wright were a key part of numerous drug investigations and helped the department seize over 16,200 grams of illegal drugs as well help make 435 arrests, since 2006.