NYPD welcomes K-9 officer named Tuz after fallen Sgt. Tuozzolo

Published on December 4, 2017

He’s one of New York’s Finest — and furriest.

K-9 officer Tuz did a victory lap at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn Friday after being named in honor of fallen Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo.

Tuozzolo’s widow Lisa and their two children Joseph, 4, and Austin, 5, were on hand to welcome Tuz to the NYPD — and give him a pat on the head for good luck.

“Introducing the newest 4 legged member of the Tuozzolo family…K9 Tuz!” Tuozzolo tweeted Friday. “ Thank you @NYPDSpecialops for this beautiful tribute to my husband & his sacrifice!”

Tuz is one of a dozen newly inducted members into the NYPD Emergency Service Unit’s K-9 team.

The dogs and their handlers will work on missing person and evidence searches as well as assist in suspect tracking and explosive detection.

Following NYPD tradition, each furry Finest member was given a new name after graduation honoring a fallen officer. One dog kept his original name, Atticus.

Dogs were named after Tuozzolo, hero Detective Steven McDonald, who won New Yorkers’ hearts and minds with his resiliency and kindness after he was left paralyzed from a shooting in 1986, and Detective Joseph Lemm, who died while serving in the Air National Guard in Afghanistan.

Other new graduates of the paw patrol were named after Detective Louis Fernandez, who died of 9/11-related cancer, and Police Officer Moira Smith, who died in the terror attacks on the World Trade Center.

Another dog was named Freedom, after the Freedom Tower.

Police Commissioner James O’Neill said naming K-9 unit members after fallen officers is one of the ways the department never forgets those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

“Each time a handler answers that question, ‘What’s your dog’s name?’ they have another chance to tell a unique story about sacrifice, courage, and service,” O’Neill said. “This is why their names are so important, because these are stories we must never stop telling.”

The K-9 graduates include 10 German Malinois mixes, two Labrador Retrievers, and one Bloodhound, officials said.