VIDEO > KREM 2's Lee Stoll reports

SPOKANE -- The Spokane County Sheriff's Office is mourning the loss of some of its youngest officers.

Three K9's have died in the last few months, creating a hole in the unit.

Officers admit K9's are usually retired after only seven or eight years of heavy work.

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A future K9 Unit undergoews training with the Spokane Sheriff's Department.

All of these dogs died for natural reasons, but the unit says they've never dealt with a loss as large as this all at once.

One by one, three of the county's six K9's have died from natural causes since April.

The most recent, a tracking dog named Leif, who collapsed on duty.

All three county K9 officers chose to pair up with new dogs, and in the process of picking their partner.

But buying a replacement for a dog like Leif isn't cheap. The price of a partially trained dog has skyrocketed from $50 dollars several years ago,to more than $8,000 now.

Other agencies are offering to help.