After Surviving a Life-Threatening Mission, Jester the K9 Has Officially Retired

There are countless reasons why dogs are an essential part of society. They aren’t just good for families — canines are capable in terms of service to the community. With their intelligence and passion for helping humans, dogs can be trained in various jobs. One famously known occupation for them is in the police department. Certain dog breeds are trained for the position and expected to assist in various missions.

Photo: Unsplash/Marisa Teruel

Dogs participating as K9s make their species more valuable and deserving to be honored. And just like in any other occupation, retirement is the end of their service. Since these K9s were young, they have been training and immediately started with work. For this reason, the hardworking law officers are rewarded with enjoying their life with a loving home upon retirement. Also, due to old age, it would be much more dangerous to serve as a police officer.

Photo: Youtube/NowThis News

At El Cajon Police Department, a dedicated K9 was given a retirement ceremony to honor his good works. Jester is a Belgian Malinois who has been with the police department since 2016. During the sendoff, the heroic dog was accompanied by his human partners Officer Randall Gray and Sgt. Mike Murphy. Jester’s services were acknowledged one by one. He had an incredible record of 465 building searches, 121 high-risk stops, 45 narcotic searches, and 197 arrests.

“It’s a very big day. It’s a day I’ve been dreading, but I knew it was coming,” Officer Randall Gray said. “He’s my best friend, and this is the best job that I’ve ever had, but all good things need to come to an end though.” The officer and Jester’s last mission together was deemed unforgettable, since it almost took the K9’s life. Their team was on the move to find a tire-slashing suspect at Roanoke Avenue and East Park Avenue. Unfortunately, during the chase, Jester was stabbed in the throat by the suspect, Rani Alrais.

Jester was immediately brought to the Pet Emergency and Specialty Center. Thankfully, the fearless dog survived and returned for duty after three weeks of recovery. The police department even shared the full story on their Instagram account. Jester courageously ended his service with one last heroic deed and his team couldn’t get any prouder. Officer Randall also admitted that he will most certainly miss his buddy.

“I like to honestly think about, honestly, just every day,” he said. “Waking up, coming downstairs and seeing him in his crate, getting excited to go to work, watching him spin in circles, throwing him in the car and just for 10 hours a day, driving around and having my best friend with me. That’s really the memory I’m going to keep the most.” Jester gets to relax in a loving home, and, surely, he will be protective of them as well. His dedication to protecting humanity is strong, and people have to salute him after watching the ceremony below.

People, Pets & Planet

Help where it’s needed most at GreaterGood for free!

Whizzco