Lithuanian police dog killed in action gets official burial

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — A Lithuanian police dog has been given a solemn official burial ceremony in the Baltic country, complete with state border guards firing off a volley salute.

An urn with the ashes of the Belgian Shepherd named Ramzis was solemnly carried before officers and dogs from the State Border Guard Service's canine squad during Wednesday's ceremony in the western town of Pagegiai.

Ramzis, a 3-year-old male, was killed in action on Sept. 27, when state border officers were tracking smugglers near Russia's Kaliningrad regional border.

Members of Lithuania¿s state border guards armed with automatic weapons fire a volley salute during the ceremonial burial of police dog Ramzis in the western town of Pagegiai, Lithuania, Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016. The three-year old male dog was killed in action on Sept. 27 when state border officers were tracking smugglers near Russian Kaliningrad exclave border. (Rokas Pukinskas/ State Border Guard Service via AP)

The shooting has angered Lithuanians and a campaign has been launched to raise money to erect a statue to commemorate the dog.