GILMER COUNTY, Ga. — Gilmer County Fire/Rescue is mourning the loss of retired Search and Rescue K9 Duke, a longtime working dog who helped establish the department’s K9 search program and assisted in several successful searches for missing people.

Duke and his handler, Mikey Bramlett, made history as Gilmer County Fire/Rescue’s first Search and Rescue K9 team. According to the department, the pair spent countless hours training together and earning the certifications necessary to serve as a dependable search and rescue team.

Their training was later put to use during real-world missions throughout the community. Duke and Bramlett were credited with several successful searches that located missing individuals and helped reunite them with their families.

“For Duke, the mission was simple: finding people,” Gilmer County Fire/Rescue said in announcing his passing. “And he did his job exceptionally well.”

Officials remembered Duke as always being ready to work, whether he was training, responding to a search or spending time around the fire station. Over the years, he became a familiar presence within the department and was considered more than a working dog.

“He was part of our Fire/Rescue family,” the department said. “He brought a lot of smiles to a lot of faces, and those who had the opportunity to work around him knew just how special he was.”

Although Duke had retired from active service, his legacy remains part of the department’s current K9 program. His son, K9 Axel, is now one of Gilmer County Fire/Rescue’s two active Search and Rescue K9s. K9 Havoc, the youngest member of the program, is also continuing to train and work within the program Duke helped establish.

The department extended its condolences to Bramlett and his family, noting that Duke was not only Bramlett’s working partner but also a member of his family.

Gilmer County Fire/Rescue thanked the Bramlett family for sharing Duke with the department and community throughout his years of service.

“Thank you, Duke, for your service,” the department said. “Thank you for the searches, the long hours of training, the lives you touched, and the families you helped make whole again. You served Gilmer County well.”

“Rest easy, Duke. Your mission is complete, but your legacy lives on.”