Roy Halladay donated funds for his Sheriff's K9 unit, they named the dog Doc

Former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay was killed Tuesday when the small aircraft he was in crashed into shallow waters in the Gulf of Mexico near Holiday, Florida.
Former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay was killed Tuesday when the small aircraft he was in crashed into shallow waters in the Gulf of Mexico near Holiday, Florida.

As tributes to Roy Halladay flooded social media following the Cy Young-winner’s fatal plane crash on Tuesday, Halladay’s local Sheriff’s office chimed in with an offering of their own.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco detailed Halladay’s relationship with local officers during the press conference announcing Halladay’s death, recounting the times he helped the station.

[Tim Brown: Halladay’s wife, sons mourn death of their greatest hero]

One of the most notable instances included Halladay donating the funds for a department canine.

The officers repaid the future Hall of Famer in a small, but lasting, way — they named the dog Doc. K9 Doc, to be exact. The Pasco County Sheriff’s office has a Facebook page dedicated to their K9 unit and it’s brimming with pictures of Doc The Dog.

K9 Doc reviews his search pattern after searching some of the Inmate pods for illegal narcotics. Doc is the partner of Dep. Brian Hernandez.

Posted by Pasco Sheriff's K-9 Association on Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Nocco noted that beyond helping the department, Halladay was a vital part of the community, where their kids went to school together and where he coached youth baseball. Nocco’s office received reports of a plane crash near Pasco County around noon eastern time. What was initially a search and rescue mission ultimately became a recovery situation.

“Roy meant a lot to the Sheriff’s office,” Nocco said at his press conference. “He was there whenever we needed him. He was one of the most humble human beings you’ll ever meet. K-9 Doc is out there working and saving lives.”

Halladay was 40 years old.

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Blake Schuster is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at blakeschuster@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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