Anyone who has loved an animal knows how heartbreaking it is to watch them suffer.
Officer D. Herrejon felt that pain firsthand after he lost his patrol horse while on duty in Houston, Texas. The Tennessee Walker, named Charlotte, was frightened by a car while on patrol and bucked Herrejon from her seat before bolting on to the road where she was struck and killed by a truck.
"She loved her job and was always ready to go to work putting bad guys in jail or giving nuzzles to children."
Despite being shaken himself, Herrejon held and comforted the horse as she lay dying in the road.
The Houston Police Department shared a series of photos of Charlotte and Herrejon on their Facebook page in honour of the horse last week.
The Mounted Patrol unit of the police department is used for crowd control and enforcement of the law, as well as public relations.
Charlotte had been with the police department for four years.
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