ohmidog!

Taz — the last New York City police dog called into service after 9/11 that was still on the job — has died.

The German shepherd, almost 2 years old when he  joined other K-9s searching for survivors and cadavers at the World Trade Center, died of cardiac arrest last Sunday, the police department said.

The New York Times noted his passing yesterday.

Taz, who would have been 10 years old on Oct. 31, served in the Canine Emergency Service Unit, where his duties consisted of searching for evidence, suspects and missing persons.

Dogs, the Times article notes, have served the New York Police Department since 1908, when, in what was a novel idea at the time,  five dogs were promoted to be full-fledged members of the department.

The article also notes that a Times article back then noted “the possibility that the dog unit could be laughed out of official existence.”

The department currently has around 40 dogs, mostly German shepherds and bloodhounds.

During the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attack, an average of eight dogs were on duty at a time, working 12-hour shifts every day, according to the Police Department.

In a statement, Taz’s handler, Officer Scott Ryan said, “His passing is not just a loss to me, my family and fellow K-9 officers, but to the city that Taz and his K-9 comrades so proudly and courageously served.”

Officer Ryan added, “I will ride with my partner Taz for the last time, as I head to Hartsdale Pet Cemetery to bring his ashes home.”