It’s been more than eight years since Converse County Sheriff’s Deputy Bryan Gross died trying to rescue a 14-year-old girl from the chilly waters of the North Platte River. But Gross’s legacy of service lives on.

On Friday, two of the deputy’s friends presented a $5,000 check to the Powell Police Department on behalf of the Bryan Gross Memorial Fund.

Gross was a K-9 handler in Douglas and the funds given to Powell police will help purchase a new narcotics detection dog for Officer Reece McLain.

“That would be what Bryan wanted: Help make sure that K-9s are still in operation,” Keri McNare said Friday, as she and her husband Ron presented the funds.

“We hope that it helps,” Ron McNare added.

“It does,” said McLain.

“... In more ways than financial,” added Powell Police Chief Roy Eckerdt.

Officer McLain has been searching for a new drug detection dog since January, when medical issues forced his K-9, Zeke, into retirement.

Zeke was initially believed to have a debilitating case of arthritis, but the ailment was later diagnosed as cancer. The 8-year-old German shepherd — who served with the department for five years — had to be put down this summer.

A fellow K-9 handler at the Converse County Sheriff’s Office, Mark Dexter, heard about McLain’s loss and suggested the Bryan Gross Memorial Fund could help replace the dog.

The McNares and deputy Gross’s widow, Amy, agreed, culminating in Friday’s check presentation.

McLain told the McNares that the support is comforting.

“It’s nice to know there are other guys out there who are looking out for you,” he said.

Keri McNare is an investigator with the Converse County Sheriff’s Office who worked with Gross, while Ron was a close friend. After Gross’s July 2011 death, the McNares and other friends created a memorial in his honor.

Located near the North Platte River, it explains how Gross responded to a report of a girl in the water, stripped off his gear and dove into the river “without hesitation.” Bystanders saw the 29-year-old deputy throw the girl toward the river bank and she ended up being rescued downstream. Gross, however, was swept away.

His sacrifice — described as both heroic and selfless by his supervisors — drew national attention; during the 2012 National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service, President Barack Obama described Gross as “a man who swore to protect his neighbors, and who kept that promise no matter what the cost.”

While Gross’s death has since faded from other headlines, his friends have continued to honor and remember him through the memorial fund.

They raise money through raffles and other events, then donate the proceeds “wherever it’s needed,” Keri McNare said, in areas related to Gross or law enforcement. Projects have included funding a sports field in Gross’s hometown, constructing an emergency services building along the river, establishing a scholarship for criminal justice majors (with a preference given to law enforcement officers) and providing assistance to the Converse County Sheriff’s Office to acquire two K-9s.

And now, they’ll help provide a detection dog in Powell.

As he chatted with the McNares in the council chambers last week, officer McLain showed them some old pictures of Zeke.

“He was a lot of fun,” McLain said.

As McLain searches for a new canine companion, Ron McNare said he hopes the officer is able to find a good one.