RCSD Remembers K-9 Tosca At Memorial Service

Columbia, S.C. (WOLO)– The Richland County Sheriff’s department has had a tough couple of months and today they said goodbye to their 2-year-old K-9 deputy Tosca. The sheriff’s department said Tosca suffered from a genetic disorder in her neck which no one would’ve been able to detect. After suffering from a seizure, she passed away earlier last week.  

“It’s having your best friend in the back of your truck essentially. It’s somebody that’s going to put her life on the line for you. So you know, it was, without her there was really no me or team. So it’s really tough not having her in the back currently,” Sheriff Emily Lemmond said of her fallen partner. 

Richland County deputy Lemmond was Tosca’s handler and said she shared a bond with Tosca no one else will ever understand.

“She was a dog that just loved to work. And she loved everybody she met, she really never met a stranger. And that’s really what makes it so tough, I mean that bond is really though to be broken and it’s pretty difficult right now so,” Lemmond said. 

“They’re part of our family here. They work hard every single day, they’re willing to give their lives. They’re a part of our family and part of our sheriff’s department. So they’re so much more than just a dog,” Sheriff Leon Lott said. 

Lemmond says losing her loyal partner is tough, but losing a part of her family has been even harder.

“That was one of the hardest things I think, going home. I’ve got Dobermans at the house and they would run around and search for her. Which was really sad. They’re like having children except you can’t explain that there’s a loss and that she’s not coming home,” Lemmond said. 

Tosca was 2 when she passed, but Lt. Kevin Hoover said she had the potential to be a superstar.

“Energetic, loving, those two were partners and those two were just alike. I mean, you look at Deputy Lemmond and Tosca was just like her. They were a perfect fit,” Sheriff Lott said of the pair. 

For Lemmond,  it was more than just a duty to be guardians of the night.

“But that actually became so much more. It was a bond that, it’s unbreakable. It’s like none other,” Lemmond said. 

The unit says they’re already looking for Lemmonds new K9 partner.