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US deputies salute 11-year-old German shepherd with cancer as she retires from duty

In her 10 years of service, a K9 named Candy has been a part of thousands of searches. She also helped seize hundreds of pounds of illicit narcotics.

Published on: Oct 25, 2023, 22:19:03 IST
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Deputies at Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office (VBSO) recently formed a line across the halfway of a correctional centre for a very special reason. They did so to bid goodbye to a retiring K9 who was also the first narcotics-detection dog of the department. The 11-year-old narcotics-detection dog named Candy retired after being diagnosed with cancer.

The image shows a brave K9 named Candy. (Instagram/@vbsheriffsoffice)
The image shows a brave K9 named Candy. (Instagram/@vbsheriffsoffice)

Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office took to Facebook to share Candy’s story along with pictures of her human colleagues saluting, and later petting her.

Also Read: German Shepherd K9 helps cop round up 30 goats in New York street. Watch

“Led by her handler, Master Deputy II Anthony ‘Tony’ Natalzia, K9 Candy, the VBSO's first narcotics-detection dog, retired valiantly Monday morning after nearly 10 years of service and thousands of operational searches. K9 Candy was diagnosed with cancer last week. The VBSO honoured her service by lining a Virginia Beach Correctional Center hallway with deputies saluting her final departure from work. K9 Candy, an 11-year-old German shepherd, carried her favourite tennis ball throughout the service,” the department wrote.

“Since joining the department in 2014, K9 Candy completed over 2,900 operational searches. She is responsible for seizing 278 pounds of illicit narcotics with an estimated street value of $937,895. Good girl! We will miss you, K9 Candy!” they added.

Take a look at this post about Candy:

The post was shared a day ago. Since then, it has collected close to 300 likes. The post has also received tons of comments from people.

What did Instagram users say about Candy:

“Hope she gets better. And a nice retirement sendoff,” wrote an Instagram user. “Thank you, Candy,” shared another. “Awww,” posted a third.

  • Trisha Sengupta
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Trisha Sengupta

    Trisha Sengupta is a Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over six years of digital newsroom experience. Specialising in high-engagement storytelling, she blends viral trends with traditional journalism to cover the intersection of technology, finance, and human emotion. Her reporting spans real estate and personal finance struggles in hubs like Bengaluru and Gurgaon, the NRI experience, and corporate shifts like tech layoffs. Trisha also frequently tracks global figures and writes human interest stories. Offline, Trisha is an avid reader, history enthusiast and solo traveler. She balances her journalism career with family life while actively integrating AI tools into her modern storytelling approach.Read More