Police dog Danny says goodbye to fallen partner at RCMP regimental funeral

Danny, canine partner of slain RCMP officer Const. David Ross, is held as Ross's casket is carried out of the regimental funeral at the Moncton Coliseum in Moncton, N.B. on Tuesday, June 10, 2014. (Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The canine partner of one of the RCMP officers slain in Moncton, N.B., was among the thousands who paid tribute at a regimental funeral Tuesday.

Danny, the K-9 Unit companion of dog handler Const. David Ross, figured prominently in Tuesday’s proceedings, paying poignant tribute to his fallen master.

During a police procession prior to the funeral, Danny walked behind his master’s hearse. At one point, Danny stood on his hind legs in an effort to sniff Ross’s Stetson hat, which was being carried by an RCMP officer.

Following the police procession, Danny was led inside the Moncton Coliseum for the regimental funeral, where he dutifully stood on guard next to his master’s flag-draped casket.

Ross’s family said the fallen officer was an animal lover and a passion for canines is what led him to a career in police work.

An officer holds Const. David Ross's Stetson with Ross' dog Danny at the funeral procession for the three RCMP officers who were killed on duty, at their regimental funeral at the Moncton Coliseum in Moncton, N.B. on Tuesday, June 10, 2014. (Andrew Vaughan / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Danny looks around as he sits next to the casket of his partner, slain RCMP Const. Dave Joseph Ross, at the start of the RCMP regimental funeral on Tuesday, June 10, 2014 in Moncton, N.B. (Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

An officer holds Const. David Ross' dog Danny at the funeral procession for the three RCMP officers who were killed on duty, at their regimental funeral at the Moncton Coliseum in Moncton, N.B. on Tuesday, June 10, 2014. (Marc Grandmaison / THE CANADIAN PRESS)