Romeoville Police K-9 Spike Retires After 8 Years Of Service; To Be Replaced By K-9 Aris
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Spike, the Romeoville Police Department's K-9, has retired after eight years of service, the department said Saturday.
The Belgian Malinois was originally from the Netherlands and came to the United States in 2011. When he was 19 months old in June of 2012, he was paired with Officer John Allen and sent to the K-9 academy.
Spike has been a part of numerous drug seizures, arrests and has even found nine guns. His biggest catch, police say, came in 2013 when he discovered 2,750 pounds of marijuana -- a value of $7.3 million.
He has participated in hundreds of K-9 demonstrations throughout Will County, and the department says he has the temperament to be loving while completing his function as a police K-9.
Spike will enjoy his retirement with Officer Allen, his long-time handler, who is also retiring on July 10.
Spike's position will be filled by Aris, another male Malinois from the Netherlands. He is nearly 2 years old and will be assigned to Officer Jason Jandura. Aris is expected to graduate from the K-9 academy July 31 and will start his police career on August 4.
"We are very thankful for the hard work both Officer Allen and Spike have done for our police department," stated Mayor John Noak. "We welcome Aris to our community and look forward to the great work he and Officer Jandura will do."
This week the police also welcomed Lola, a comfort dog who will assist police officers and victims of serious crimes.
