Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy Zach Oliver had a Kleenex at the ready as he got through one of his toughest assignments Thursday — describing the loss of his huge-pawed K-9 who was a member of his work and home family.

Graffit was a beloved police dog who was shot and killed this week while chasing an armed man who had retreated into the woods near Golden.

“I’m just glad we’re not having funerals for any humans. Obviously, I wish it could have played out differently,” said Oliver, who was the 10-year-old German Shepherd’s handler for the last year and a half. “I don’t know what life is going to look like without him.”

After tracking a fleeing felon considered armed and dangerous, Oliver took Graffit off of his leash to find the suspect as he disappeared into a wooded area near the Colorado School of Mines campus just after midnight Monday. Jeffco Sheriffs were assisting the university and Golden police in the midnight chase. As Graffit closed in on the fleeing suspect, the man allegedly opened fire and killed the dog.

Five hours later, 30 year-old Armando Romero turned himself in.

“K-9’s are a locating tool,” said Oliver, who considers being a K-9 handler a dream law enforcement job. His voice cracked as he thanked his colleagues and the community for the huge outpouring of support since Graffit’s death.

“Now that he’s gone, people know how important he was to the community,” he said.

A thirty-vehicle police procession escorted Graffit on his last journey from Golden where he died to Fort Collins where Colorado State University personnel performed a necropsy.

The news of his death hit animal lovers hard as evidenced by Jeffco Sheriffs Facebook page announcement, which had 2,000 comments and nearly 5,000 shares.

The K-9 veteran, who Oliver described as lanky and athletic, Graffit would likely have retired this year after a life of working numerous arrests including narcotics seizures and once even tracked a murderer to his back porch.

The suspect who is accused of killing Graffit, Romero, could face as many as 13 charges including aggravated animal cruelty, felony menacing, motor vehicle theft and DUI.

But Oliver feels that’s not enough.

When it comes to the law, police dogs are considered property in many states including Colorado and therefore the penalties are not as harsh as some cops would like to see them. Colorado is one of  ten states including Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland and South Dakota that have not specifically enacted laws to protect police dogs.

“It’s heartbreaking to know the suspect can maybe get away with killing a police K-9 that saved our lives and the worst charge for that might be animal cruelty,” said Oliver. “I’m hoping that can change because these dogs are more than just a typical animal.”

When asked his opinion on what should happen to Romero, he set his jaw, shook his head and declined to answer.

In 2019, Florida enacted the “Fang Memorial Bill,” which made the punishment for harming law enforcement animals a second-degree felony which carries an up to 15-year prison sentence and $15,000 maximum in fines.

On a hill outside of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office sits a patrol vehicle dedicated to Graffit which is covered with flowers and personal notes. Someone even left a brand-new blue and yellow rope ball with a message to “please give this to another dog.”

One woman drove all the way down from Evergreen to add a fresh bouquet of yellow roses and lilies.

“I don’t have children. I am a dog person,” said a somber Tiffany Lockwood. “I respect all of our officers, whether they’re two-legged or four-legged.”

Jeffco’s six K-9 animals live with their officers and Oliver said his daughters, aged 11 and 4, have been crying over the loss of Graffit whom “they thought was their police dog.”  The youngest drags a stuffed Graffit replica around the house.

“He was more than a friend. He was my partner.”