A fallen member of the Cave City Police Department’s K-9 unit – Officer Jack, a black Labrador retriever who died in the line of duty in August – will be honored Monday in a special memorial service at city hall in Cave City.

Jack, who joined the CCPD as a narcotics dog in September 2003, was originally paired with Officer Barry Miles, said City Clerk Pam Hunt. After they completed training together, Jack began service on Nov. 13, 2003. Earlier this year, he joined Sgt. Gerald &#8220Joey” Cox, and the two of them trained extensively before becoming a part of the Barren County Drug Task Force in March.

On Aug. 10, Hunt said, Cox and Jack were involved in the surveillance of an apartment where suspected drug dealers lived.

&#8220Jack liked to bark, so they parked him in the SUV with the air conditioner on,” she said. &#8220When Joey went back to check on him … he was in distress.”

The air conditioner had stopped working. Cox rushed Jack to the vet, but it was too late.

Bowling Green resident Mary Lou Oakes campaigned in front of the city council of Cave City in September to give Jack a proper memorial. She knew there were some in Cave City who saw Jack as &#8220just a dog,” she said, but she felt differently.

&#8220True, he was a dog, but he was a specially trained dog and he was put on a special police force,” Oakes said Thursday night. &#8220He was a police officer, just like anybody else … even though a lot of people saw him as a dog.”

After that meeting, Cave City Mayor Bob Hunt told Oakes to join forces with CCPD Chief Billy Minton to plan the memorial.

Oakes first heard about Jack when she saw Minton, a longtime friend of Oakes’ parents, at a drug seminar in 2003. Minton mentioned he’d like to get a drug-sniffing dog, but the department lacked money to equip a vehicle for use by a K-9 unit. Oakes, a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, a fraternal life-insurance organization, asked her fellow members to put on a fund-raiser for the police department. They raised $2,620 for the CCPD and Jack.

&#8220He was playful when it was playful time, but when it was time for business, he got down to business,” Oakes said fondly, looking at a picture of Jack. &#8220He was very smart.”

Even though Oakes doesn’t live in Cave City, she was born and raised there and understands the importance of a dog who could &#8220sniff out drugs where no human could,” she said. &#8220I want my family to be as safe – regardless of where they live – as they can possibly be.”

Hunt hopes there will be a good turnout for the memorial, which will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday at city hall, 103 Duke St. in Cave City.

&#8220He might have been a young dog, but he was very advanced in his abilities to hunt down all kinds of drugs.”

Jack was insured, she said, so the city will be reimbursed $5,000. A trainer is on the lookout for another narcotics dog, she said.

Neither Minton nor Bob Hunt could be reached for comment Friday.

Oakes said a plaque with Jack’s picture will be hung in city hall on Monday.

&#8220Officer Jack did a good job, and he deserves it,” she said.

– Robyn L. Minor of the Daily News contributed information to this article.