REMEMBERING ROWDY

REMEMBERING ROWDY — K-9 Rowdy, shown in this January 2022 file photo with his handler, Obion County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Stacey Bostwick, passed away July 2 after many years of dedicated service to local law enforcement. “K-9 Rowdy was Sgt. Bostwick’s partner for many years, and he hunted down bad guys like no other. We appreciate Rowdy’s service, and he will be missed by all,” the sheriff’s office posted on its Facebook page. Rowdy, a 10-year-old bloodhound, had been a tracking dog since 2015 after being rescued from poor living conditions in Florida by the Howard’s Hounds animal rescue group. Rowdy and Bostwick, a Weakley County native with more than three decades of law enforcement experience, trained together extensively and joined the OCSO’s patrol division in the summer of 2021, according to an article The Messenger published Jan. 11, 2022. Over the years, Rowdy was credited with dozens of finds locally and in many other counties, successfully tracking criminals on the run, as well as finding missing children or senior citizens. Among his successful missions were locating a convicted double murderer from Montgomery County after a week-long manhunt; and finding a convicted murderer, rapist and prison escapee from Lauderdale County who had been on the run for five days. When he wasn’t on the hunt, the lovable heroic hound enjoyed visiting children at local schools and events.