09/06/2026
Today, law enforcement officers from across Western North Carolina gathered at Trinity Baptist Church alongside family, friends, and community members to stand beside Deputy Dane and honor his friend and partner, K-9 Norris.
Norris began serving Buncombe County in 2019 as a narcotics detection K-9. During his career, his work helped remove 5.7 kilograms of methamphetamine, 3.8 kilograms of fentanyl, and so much more from our streets.
Those numbers tell us what Norris accomplished.
They don’t tell us who he was.
Because a K-9 is not just another piece of equipment. He is a partner. He is four paws ready when the radio calls, the familiar breathing during a long patrol, and the one you trust when a situation turns dangerous.
And when the shift ends, he goes home with you.
He is family.
For seven years, Norris was there. Thousands of hours, thousands of miles, and a bond built on absolute trust and loyalty.
Buncombe County knew him as K-9 Norris.
Deputy Dane knew him as his partner, his family, his boy.
The calls will keep coming. The uniform will still go on. The patrol car will still pull out.
But there will be no familiar breathing from the back. No four paws waiting to go to work. No Norris beside him.
That is the part no statistic can measure.
To Deputy Dane, thank you for sharing your friend with Buncombe County and for the hundreds of hours you put into his training and care. Today, we hope you saw just how many people are standing beside you.
And to K-9 Norris, thank you for every shift, every mile, every find, and every year of faithful service.
You will always be a good boy.
Your watch is over.
We’ll take it from here.
