Retired K9 Noa Passes, Remembered By OCSD

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — A retired service dog of the Orange County Sheriff's Department has passed away, an official spokesperson reported.

"The Orange County Sheriff Department’s K9 Unit is saddened to announce the passing of retired Police Service Dog, Noa," they said.

The 15-year-old Belgian Malinois enjoyed a long and successful career with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Noa and her first partner, Deputy Anderson, were assigned to the James A. Musick Facility where they conducted more than 1,200 searches for narcotics and completed over 400 hours of training.

When Deputy Anderson transferred to patrol operations in August of 2009, Noa was provided a new partner, Deputy Hodges.

Deputy Hodges and Noa remained at the Musick facility, where the duo made more than 20 observed felony arrests for narcotic possession at the jail, and were often called upon to help search the other jail facilities for narcotics. Noa also assisted patrol deputies on vehicle stops and probation searches in operations.

Deputy Hodges transferred to patrol in 2013 and Noa was assigned to a third partner, Deputy Raphael.

Deputy Raphael certified with Noa and was in service at the Musick Facility and also assisted patrol in more than 325 deployments.

Noa retired in 2014 and was adopted by Deputy Zwirner, who was assigned to Musick and was looking to bring Noa to a loving home.

"Noa will be missed and remembered by her partners, Deputy Zwirner and the men and women of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department," they said.