A Marion K-9 officer came up a few thousand votes short in his quest to become the Florida Sheriff Association’s Top Dog.
Rex lost his matchup against Laura, a K-9 officer with Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, during the K9 March Madness round of four.
Rex was just over 4,100 votes shy of victory, accumulating 10,975 votes to Laura’s 15,096. Voting for the penultimate round ended earlier this week.
Although the officer previously won his first three rounds of the competition, including a matchup in the round of 8 with K-9 Tank from the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office that went down to the last few seconds, Laura amassed a massive lead that she never relinquished.
On Tuesday, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office thanked the community for its votes.
“Although we did not advance to the next round, we are truly humbled by all the love and votes for K-9 Rex. We’re grateful for each and every one of you who voted and shared our posts. Your support is a blessing, and it means everything to our K-9 Unit and the entire Sheriff’s Office team. Until next year,” reads a statement posted by MCSO to social media.