JACKSON, Miss. (WSVN) — A police officer who abandoned his retired K-9 at an animal shelter has been demoted. Thankfully, the former police dog now has a new home.
According to WLBT, Ringo worked as a drug sniffing dog for the Jackson Police Department for nine years before he retired in October.
Ringo was then taken in by a handler who was supposed to care for him for the rest of his life.
Unfortunately, that’s not how things turned out for Ringo. The dog’s former trainer, Officer Randy Hare, later caught wind that the retired K-9 had been put up for adoption at a nearby animal shelter.
“I don’t know that there is a word for being both hurt and mad, but I was both of them. And I still am,” Hare told WLBT. “You know it’s just, you just don’t turn your back on something like that. Next thing we knew, we got a call from an animal shelter in Madison that Ringo was actually being housed there and up for adoption.”
Hare promptly went to the shelter and took Ringo home. Meanwhile, the handler who was initially entrusted with Ringo’s care has since been demoted to patrol duty.
“They are family, and we do not feel they deserve anything less than a loving home in retirement,” said Sgt. Roderick Holmes.
WLBT reports that police have now implemented welfare checks on retired K-9s, and policy is also being drafted that will ensure K-9s are receiving the best possible care.
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