HPD K9 officer T-Rex, diagnosed with cancer in 2018, is put down 'due to medical issues'

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- T-Rex, a popular Houston police K-9 who was diagnosed with cancer and later had a leg amputation, had to be put down, according to his handler.

On Thursday, T-Rex's handler, Officer Paul Foster, shared an emotional post about having to make "the hardest decision," but that "due to T-Rex's medical issues and quality of life," he had to be put down.

The video above is ABC13's 24/7 Livestream.

Eyewitness News first introduced you to K-9 officer T-Rex, a Belgian Malinois, in February 2018, as he was among the group of K-9 officers credited with capturing thousands of takedowns in their careers.

Foster shared that T-Rex started his career in 2014 and hit the streets in early 2015. T-Rex served the City of Houston until 2018 when he was diagnosed with bone cancer.

In January 2019, news broke out that he was undergoing surgery and having a leg amputated in an effort to stop the spread of bone cancer.

"Even after receiving a leg amputation, T-Rex continued to serve Houston through explosive detection and community affairs," Foster shared.

T-Rex was among the nominations for K9s of Valor's "K9 of the Year" award in 2019.

"T-Rex was inspirational and touched so many people through the hundreds of community events we attended. His cancer prognosis was not good, but T-Rex has always been a fighter and turned a bad prognosis into years of happiness and great memories!" Foster wrote. "I am going to miss him greatly. There's nothing stronger than the bond between partners."

SEE RELATED STORIES:

HPD K-9 officers help take down thousands of suspects

Houston Police Department K9 officer T-Rex undergoing surgery for cancer

HPD officer T-Rex nominated for 'K9 of the Year' after losing leg