After finding 103 suspects, and being shot and stabbed while on the job, a Los Angeles Police Department K-9 is retiring from the force.
It's the end of an impressive career that started with a few question marks. When Aro first joined the LAPD, Sgt. Mike Goosby, the head trainer for LAPD K-9, thought he was a “knucklehead."
“The dogs have to be social, and when Aro came in, he had a little bit of a social problem. He had everything else down, but the social thing wasn’t really working for him yet,” Sgt. Goosby said.
Over time, with LAPD training, Sgt. Goosby said Aro became a skilled police dog.
Officer Josh Kniss has been by Aro’s side for the past two and a half years. In June of 2017, Aro was shot and then stabbed shortly after.
“He’s fought through them all and continues to have the energy that we have always known him to have,” Officer Kniss said.
Officer Kniss said that getting a new K-9 is exciting, but it is also a large task to handle.
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“It's difficult for all of us, the stress we put on each other. He is stressed, I know he is stressed but he makes sure that we come home everyday,” Officer Kniss said.
After going through LAPD training, he is confident that the new dog will get to the same level Aro is at right now.
“It’s bittersweet to see such a good experienced police dog leave our unit because he brings us home every night,” Sergeant Goosby added.
