SEOUL - A long-serving South Korean police dog killed in the line of duty - by a snake - will be honored with a rare ceremony next month. Larry, a seven-year-old German shepherd, was searching for a missing person on a mountain in North Chungcheong province when the reptile bit him on his left hind leg in July. He is the first police dog to die "in the line of duty" anywhere in the country, the Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency said in a statement. Highly trained in tracking evidence through scent, Larry helped officers with 39 felony cases and took part in searches for more than 170 missing people since first being deployed in 2012. He provided a key clue to an unsolved murder last year after detecting the body of a woman buried 70 centimeters underground near a hiking trail. An officer said that the carcass was cremated and a funeral service held after Larry's death last month. Police have commissioned a bronze plaque "in honor of Larry" listing his achievements, which will be hung in the regional police headquarters at a ceremony in September, the officer added. - AFP