Kennewick K9 retiring after finding hundreds of pounds of illegal drugs
Kennewick’s drug dog is turning in his time in the police car for time at home.
Bear, a black lab mix, is retiring after seven years of working with Officer Isaac Merkl.
“I’m being promoted to sergeant,” Merkl said. “He’d keep going for another five years if he could. .... He’ll get to live out his happy years with me at home.”
Since joining the Kennewick police, he’s been used nearly 800 times to find hundreds of pounds of illegal drugs.
He’s located 340 pounds of meth, 54 pounds of cocaine, 43 pounds of heroin and some 200 pieces of drug paraphernalia.
When he gets home, he’s ready to relax. He enjoys lying on his dog bed in the bedroom or spending time in the living room, Merkl said.
But when the phone rings he’s ready to go to work.
“He’s really helped us meet our mission,” Merkl said. “He’s great at helping us solve some other cases that might go unsolved without that nose.”
Kennewick police plan to add another drug detection dog in the future.
This story was originally published August 29, 2020 at 11:41 AM.