'A very, very high-energy dog': Windsor police retires K9 officer Vegas
K9 officer Vegas served with the Windsor Police Service since September 2011
The Windsor Police Service held a retirement ceremony Monday in honour of outgoing police service dog Vegas.
The ceremony was attended by members of the media, as well as Windsor police officers including Sgt. Rob Wilson, Vegas's human partner.
Vegas, a 10-year-old Belgian Malinois, and Wilson were partners since September 2011, when Vegas was brought in to replace Wilson's then outgoing partner, police service dog Quincy.
Windsor police Const. Lance Montigny said Vegas was responsible "for over 60 canine-related arrests."
"He lives his life with an intensity of a sheepdog protecting the herd," said Montigny.
Wilson described his former partner as a "very very high-energy dog."
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"When he's at work, he's just one of those dogs that doesn't lay down and he just goes all the time," said Wilson. "He kept me on my toes all the time."
According to Wilson, Vegas takes his high-energy home with him as well.
"I had to bring in five yards of sand in my backyard just to minimize the damage to my backyard, because he does circles all the time," Wilson said. "He just wants to work all the time."
Though Vegas is no longer in service, he will remain under Wilson's supervision and will continue living with the Windsor police officer.
Police Service Dog Vegas retired today. His speech included words of thanks to his partner Sgt. Rob Wilson, the entire Windsor Police Service, and the community. He is clearly excited for retirement. 🐕🐾 <a href="https://t.co/lSIHLg4bpU">pic.twitter.com/lSIHLg4bpU</a>
—@WindsorPolice"It's going to be a lot more work, a lot more work, but I'm up to the challenge," Wilson said.
Wilson, who will no longer serve with the Police Dog Unit, was selected as a canine handler with Windsor police in April 2005. He has had two K9 partners including Vegas.
"Usually two handles of a dog is excellent for a handler and that's what I had the opportunity," said Wilson. "It was just one of those situations where the stars kind of lined up and I was offered another position in the unit."
Windsor police currently has a group of five K9s including police service dog Rolex, who was introduced to the force in August 2019 following the retirement of Rony.
With files from Amy Dodge