Monterey County Sheriff’s Office K-9 program goes from five dogs to three

After many years of loyal service, two K-9s with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office have gone into retirement, and because of budget constraints they won’t be replaced anytime soon. Both of the dog’s handlers were recently promoted to Sergeant and because of the age of the dogs it was deemed not fiscally responsible to train new handlers for them. There’s also no money in the budget to buy new dogs at this point.

The retirement of Kilo and Spur means the Sheriff’s Office will be down to three dogs for some time. Both K-9s were general service animals meaning they could assist in arrests, and were also cross trained to sniff out drugs. Commander John Thornburg said five dogs have been a good working number for the County over the years, so they’ll look into getting new dogs in the future.

“We will be working to work it into the next budget. Or, maybe some money will become available so we can get those animals,” Said Commander John Thornburg.

With the legalization of marijuana in California, Thornburg said moving forward they could get a dog that does not hit on that specific drug, but more than likely they won’t go that route, because while some pot is legal, it’s also illegal in large quantities.

Both Kilo and Spur will live out their retirement as household pets with their handlers.