[CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] Ptlm. Paul Wells and his partner, K9 Fox, at the start of the 2017 Gaspee Day Parade.[CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] Ptlm. Paul Wells and his partner, K9 Fox, at City Hall prior to the April 7, 2015 Warwick City Council meeting. The meeting was a continuation of that Monday’s meeting, which a bomb threat ended prematurely.WARWICK, RI — K-9 Fox, longtime partner to fellow retiree Ptlm. Paul Wells, the veteran of parades, drug investigations, City Council guard duty and weapons tracking missions, has passed away, Warwick Police reported Monday.
“It is with a heavy heart the Warwick Police Department announces the passing of Retired K-9 Fox.
Officer Paul Wells and K-9 Fox became partners in March 2012 and worked together until their retirement in February 2019. K-9 Fox assisted numerous local, state, and federal agencies. He was also deputized by DEA. K-9 Fox became famous when he appeared numerous times on LivePD.”
In 2018, Wells and Fox met with Lippitt third-graders at the Warwick Police Headquarters Community Room to demonstrate their partnership in action. During the demonstration, Wells explained the unique relationship he and Fox shared, as the dog is his partner, his pet and, in many respects, is considered a law enforcement tool.
Wells told the students that Fox and all dogs in K-9 units are sent into harms way ahead of their human partners. Often, the situations police dogs lead the way on involve people who want to fight an arrest.
‘Our sympathy goes out to Paul, his wife Amy, and their children. Fox will be missed by everyone here at the police department as well as the community.’
The drugs had been encased in a layer of foam, wrapped in foil and sealed in red cellophane, which was coated in a flowery-scented oil to further throw off the scent. The efforts were no match for Fox’s olfactory gifts of detection.
[CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] WPD Ptlm. Paul Wells is led to hidden drugs in in the community room during a demonstration of WPD K-9 Fox’s tracking prowess for Lippitt students May 2.
Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.