Police Dog TunzaPrint Page 
The Gooseponds Dog Park was renamed in March 2016 to commemorate police dog "Tunza" for his achievements and contribution to the Mackay community.
Tunza was seven and half years old and was sworn into the Queensland Police Service following his training at eighteen months old. Tunza was posted to Mackay District and served two years with Senior Constable Ben Richards and then served the last four years with his handler Sergeant Marcus Hahn, Officer in Charge of the Mackay Dog Squad.
Tunza was general purpose police dog, cross trained in drug detection. Sergeant Hahn and Tunza had been a formidable team in the Mackay Police District over many years with successes in both drug detection and the tracking and apprehension of numerous suspects.
An off-leash dog park at the Gooseponds was renamed in honour of one of the region's most talented police dogs at a special ceremony today. Police Dog Tunza was responsible for apprehending countless offenders during his six-year career on the Mackay Dog Squad. Sadly, Police Dog Tunza fell ill on a shift on November 7 last year and he died later that day at seven-and-a-half years of age.
Police Dog Tunza's handler Sergeant Marcus Hahn said he couldn't be more proud of his co-worker's achievements. "I worked with Police Dog Tunza for four years and during that time I was continually impressed by the skills he showed on the job," he said. "I've worked with many police dogs, but Police Dog Tunza was a very special, one-of-a-kind dog and he was like a best friend to me."
Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld.), 1 March 2016.
Location
| Address: | Willis Street, Police Dog Tunza Off Leash Dog Park, North Mackay , 4740 |
|---|---|
| State: | QLD |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -21.122001 Long: 149.182598 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Park |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Culture |
| Sub-Theme: | Animals |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Tuesday 1st March, 2016 |
|---|
In memory of Police Dog Tunza
Police Dog Tunza was an extremely talented general purpose police dog who was also cross trained in drug detention. He admirably served our community for six years in the Mackay Dog Squad
Police Dog Tunza completed training in 2009 and was posted to Mackay, where he started working alongside handler Senior Constable Ben Richards for two years. He then served his last four years on the Mackay Dog Squad with handler Sergeant Marcus Hahn. He lived at home with Sergeant Hahn and his family.
In an illustrious career, Police Dog Tunza proved to be an irreplaceable member of the local police service with an exceptional sense of smell that proved invaluable when it came to tracking an offender who was on the run or locating a missing person.
In 2013 Police Dog Tunza and Sergeant Hahn were presented with a District Officers Certificate at a Queensland Police Service ceremony. This was in recognition for tracking and locating multiple offenders through dangerous conditions after a break and enter that occured at Slade Point.
Sadly Police Dog Tunza fell ill during a shift on November 7, 2015, and passed away later that day at seven and a half years of age. He will be long remembered for his achievements and the outstanding contribution he made to our community,
