The Leelanau County Sheriff’s office reports with sadness that K9 Nico passed away this week due to natural causes after retiring in February of this year.

Italian-born Nico, 11, lived as part of his handler/owner Sergeant Greg Hornkohl’s family after 8 years of service to the county. Nico was the first K9 Leelanau County had after several years, made possible by a grant from the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. Hornkohl and Nico were partners since 2013.

Nico successfully tracked lost children, persons with dementia who have wandered off, and hikers lost in the sand dunes. Another 25 percent of his time was spent in narcotics detection, and 25 percent training. Even playtime involved training, Hornkohl told the Leelanau Ticker in 2020. “We do stuff every day. I’ll send my kids to the woods, where Nico invariably finds them. ”

“He touched the hearts of many community members and guests during his time in service,” the Sheriff’s Office shared on social media this week. “He will be greatly missed.”