Beloved canine crime dog, Astor, dies of cancer

The furry four-legged pooch was a fixture in the DuPage County courthouse.

For eight years, Astor sniffed mail, swept the building and parking lots for explosives and kept inmates on their best behavior.

The beloved German shepherd had to be euthanized late Monday after it was learned cancer rapidly spread through his body. He was 10.

Astor served as DuPage County's first explosives-detection dog. He and his handler, Deputy George Foy, were stationed at the Wheaton courthouse, but the crime-fighting duo accomplished so much more during their time together.

"My heart is broken," Foy said of losing his partner, who lived with him. "His life was serving the county. All he wanted to do was to go to work and for us to be together. He was so social, but also very protective of me."

Besides their courthouse duties, Astor often was called out to area crime scenes and for bomb threats. It was Astor who found the gun, buried in the snow, used in a fatal apartment shooting at Benedictine University in January, 2004. He had 42 actual finds of explosives and guns during his proud career.

He secured the grounds of the 2006 PGA Championship golf tournament in Medinah. Astor made sure local school buildings were safe after a bomb threat before students were allowed back inside. He also guarded visiting dignitaries, such as President Bush and Vice President Cheney.

"(Astor) was tenacious when it came to doing his job, but was one of the calmest and gentlest dogs in our canine unit," DuPage Sheriff John Zaruba said in a statement. "He loved people as much as he loved his job. We will all miss him."

The teaming of Astor and Foy in August 1999 was more than coincidence. Foy is a retired bomb-disposal specialist with the U.S. Army. He also worked myriad assignments for the Secret Service during his 21-year career.

They trained together for six weeks at the Global Training Academy in Texas before Astor, at just 22 months, came home with Foy. One of the hardest parts for the handler was learning to speak his commands in Dutch. Astor came from a kennel in Holland.

Foy said Astor was just given a clean bill of health in March during his last checkup. Foy rushed him to the veterinarian at about 6 p.m. Monday when, without warning, the 84-pound pooch suddenly became ill.

"He walked in and just stood there," Foy said. "Then he staggered. He tried to make it to my chair and then he collapsed. (At the hospital), there wasn't anything they could do."

Astor was a courthouse favorite. Even DuPage Chief Judge Ann Jorgensen couldn't resist his charm.

"I loved that dog," she said. "Astor represented the sheriff with dignity and class. He was well behaved and a good ambassador for law enforcement. Astor was a master at his chosen profession, which was bombs and explosives."

Astor was trained and certified in detecting 23 different types of explosives, including different varieties of dynamite. His duties will be taken over by the sheriff's other explosives dog, Utah, a 4-year-old black Labrador, also stationed at the courthouse.