MEDFORD, Ore. — After 7 years of serving and protecting, the Medford Police Department is saying goodbye to a beloved member of its team.
Kelso, a malinois from Holland, is turning in his badge.
Kelso joined the force back in 2012.
After some intensive training, Kelso moved into his role as a “patrol dog.”
Some of his duties included sniffing around for discarded evidence at crime scenes, and searching for “bad guys.” During his 7 years of service, he tracked down 100 of them, many of which, the agency says wouldn’t have been possible without him.
“I’m sure there’s a lot of people at the department who have stories that start off with this one time Kelso,” said Sgt. Trevor Arnold, Medford Police Department. “So, there’s a lot of people that have relationships with the dog and it will be different now that he’s going home.”
Kelso was having some health issues and nearing the age of 13.
He’ll be going home with a member of the force he worked with to become a stay-at-home dog.
The Medford Police Department says they’ll be training another dog to fill his role in the next few weeks.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.