A Gold Coast police dog who played a key role in the arrest of a gunman who murdered Detective Damian Leeding in 2011 has died.
Retired police dog Bosun died in the arms of his handler Senior Constable Wayne Algie on Monday.
The German shepherd was nine.
Sen Const Algie described the loyal pooch as a good mate and colleague, adding that he had a great work ethic and would be missed.
"Bosun was much loved by his family at home as well as his QPS family," he said in a statement on Tuesday.
The police dog had a distinguished career and was well-known for his work helping in the arrest of offenders.
Both Bosun and his handler played a key role in the arrest of the gunman who shot and killed Gold Coast Detective Leeding in May 2011.
The detective was shot in the face after being called to an armed robbery at the Pacific Pines Tavern.
Sen Const Algie and Bosun tracked gunman Phillip Graeme Abell across an exposed paddock and into pitch black bushland where he was arrested.
Abell is serving a life sentence for murder, while his accomplices are also in jail.
In 2012 Bosun spent weeks recovering after being mauled by two dogs during an arrest at Upper Coomera.
That same year he helped officers nab a man, wanted on a string of weapons and theft offences, who ran from police after a pursuit at Pacific Pines.
The famed dog also gave up the bulk of his coat when he was "clipped for a cure" as part of the Leukaemia Foundation's World's Greatest Shave fundraiser in 2012.
Bosun, who was awarded the Australian Defence Force Service Medal, had lived with Sen Const Algie since his retirement last year.
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