A police department is saying goodbye to the most “successful” K9 to have been in their ranks.

Meet K9 Fino.

In a Facebook post, the Douglasville Police Department described how Fino came from France through the organization Arete Canine.

After completing a 12-week course with Officer Mike McDonald, who has been a K9 handler for over 15 years, the pair hit the streets and spent the next few years “fighting crime, chasing bad guys, locating drugs, and performing countless demonstrations for the fans.”

Fino and McDonald were a great duo.

Back in 2012, when Fino had been partnered with McDonald for less than six months, Fino successfully alerted during a traffic stop on I-20 and located more than 5 pounds of marijuana, leading to the arrest of two drug dealers.

This success continued with McDonald and Fino being named Officers of the Year in a 2015 department award ceremony. Later, in April of 2020, the pair also tracked and located three suspects who fled crime scenes on foot – even apprehending two in one day.

The department describes Fino as “completing the most successful tenure of any K9 for the Douglasville Police Department.”

Following his retirement at 11 years old, Fino will be enjoying his days as a family dog and living with McDonald.

McDonald had previously been partnered with K9 Ayko, who had retired roughly six months before Fino appeared on the scene. Ayko also went to live with McDonald after six years of faithful service; however, a Facebook post seems to indicate that Ayko passed away early last year.

According to the National Police Dog Foundation, there are many factors that influence a K9’s age of retirement.

These include their health, breed, and the dangers of the job. Generally, however, K9s start working when they’re old enough to maintain focus – at roughly 12-15 months old – and are usually retired at approximately 10 years of age.

Luckily, most retired K9s, like Fino, will end their career to live with their handlers – but this was not always the case.

Prior to Bill Clinton’s signing of Robby’s Law in 2000, police and military K9s were faced with euthanasia after retirement.

Robby’s Law was inspired by Robby, an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois, that served in the military until he got arthritis and elbow dysplasia, making it impossible for him to complete his duties. The military planned to have Robby evaluated and if the dog was unable to perform half-time duties, he would be ultimately euthanized.

Knowing that Robby would not be able to complete the half-time duties, his handler attempted to adopt him only to be denied. Shortly after, the handler went to the media with his story and earned vast public support.

Luckily, modern K9s are now able to live out the lives they deserve.

And they definitely deserve it after spending their lives living in service to their communities. Clearly, it’s the least these dogs are owed for their selfless sacrifices – and the Douglasville Police Department seems to agree.

“Fino will retire to the home of Officer McDonald and live out his remaining years relaxing and having fun with the McDonald family which he has certainly earned,” they wrote in Fino’s retirement post.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to K9 Fino for his selfless service to the citizens of this great city.”

Enjoy your retirement, Fino!

Check out the department’s post below!

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Source: Facebook – Douglasville Police Department, Daily Advent, Patch.com, The University of British Columbia