At the conclusion of the funeral service at Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge for Lawrence “Larry” Harris Jr. last week, a radio call went out over first-responder airwaves.
“Cheshire County 26K9,” the message began, using Harris’s call sign that he used as Rindge’s animal control officer for 64 years. “On behalf of the entire county, we would like to thank you for a lifetime of service to the town of Rindge. 26K9 is 10-2 for the final time.”
Under New Hampshire police code, 10-2 signals that an officer is out of service. A fitting farewell to Harris, an institution at the Rindge Police Department for decades.
The funeral, held Thursday, included a police and fire escort for Harris’s family, including his wife Judy Harris. The escort passed by Rindge Main Street landmarks important to Harris, including the Police, Fire and Highway Departments, before continuing to Cathedral of the Pines.
Funeral services included a posting of the colors and a lineup of police and fire department members in dress uniform.
Harris died on Aug. 6, after an illness, at the age of 89. Harris was a longtime contributor to the town of Rindge, including serving seven years on the Rindge Fire Department in his early days. But he spent most of his service with the Rindge Police Department, where he was sworn in as a “Special Police Officer” under Chief Ernie Gooddall to serve as the town’s animal control officer. He held the position until his retirement in 2024, and even after retiring, he was granted the title of Honorary Lifetime Animal Control Officer.
Harris also served as a town constable for 17 years and was a staple at town events, including assisting with traffic control and cleanup after festivities.
In addition to his town service, Harris also worked at the Hampshire Country School for several years and drove a tractor-trailer for Red’s in Jaffrey.
State Representative and Rindge resident John Hunt spoke of Harris during his funeral, including reading a proclamation from the State House, thanking Harris for his decades of service to the town.
Several people spoke of their interactions with Harris over the years — many of them starting with a dog.
Zach Letourneau, a former Rindge police officer, spoke of the times he brought his dog Pepper to the office on an overnight shift. Once, he said, he got back from a call to find his dog missing, and a message from Harris letting him know she looked hungry, and he’d taken her home for a good meal.
” I appreciate his service to the town of Rindge,” said Letourneau. “Sixty-four years is nothing to shake a stick at, and we should all be grateful for the kind of civil servitude that he generated for this town.”
Moto McGuire of Peterborough met Harris for the first time after his Boston Terrier, Odie, wandered off while he was on an auto repair job for the fire department. McGuire said he went looking for his dog after he didn’t come back, and found Harris, who told him his dog was doing a stint in “jail” after meandering into a nearby yard to play with another dog. It became a running joke afterward.
Cleade Jean of Rindge said Harris was one of the first people he met after moving to town in 1986, and recalled how vital a part of Rindge’s fabric he was.
“Anywhere, anytime you need Larry, you call Larry, and Larry is there for you,” Jean said. “Dog running away, Larry. Horse running away, Larry. Traffic, Larry. Anything that happens in this town, you call Larry.”
Jean said Harris’s passing would leave a big hole in the town, and called for people to embody his spirit and step up to fill the gap left by his absence.
The burial will be private, at the family’s discretion.