After 10 years on the force and more than 1,200 missions, bomb-sniffing K9 "JR" retired from the Tucson Police Department in September.
JR was born in 2005 and was originally enrolled in a duck hunting retrieval program in California before attending explosive detection K9 school in Wisconsin, Sgt. Pete Dugan, a Tucson Police Department spokesman, wrote in a news release.
JR was hired by TPD in 2007 and is also trained to detect guns and shell casings. He became a credentialed Explosives Ordinance Detection K9 after completing the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives National Odor Recognition Training, the release said.
During his 10 years of service with TPD, JR was a common fixture at the University of Arizona basketball and football home games and became well known to fans as he would sweep the area for danger, the release said.
JR was retired to the care of his handler, Officer Rob McCusker, and will enjoy a retirement filled with family barbecues and family vacations.
