VIDEO: “The night Balko died, we didn’t just lose a working member of the fire department; we lost a family member. He was part of my family at home with my kids. He was part of the K-9 team. And he was part of the St. Louis Fire Department,” said Brent Sevener, Balko’s handler and a St. Louis firefighter.
With Balko’s collar on a cross and his ashes feet away, the St. Louis Fire Department family gathered Wednesday to honor their fallen K-9. Balko’s handler, Sevener, recalled the K-9’s will to work and skill for sneaking snacks.
“When we’d wake up in the morning, and I’d grab my backpack, he’d get excited knowing he was getting ready to come into work,” Sevener said. “He’d be waiting for somebody to make popcorn, so he could scoop it up off the ground.”