New Canaan Police Dog Retires After Nearly 10 Years Of Service

NEW CANAAN, CT — After nearly a decade of service, a dedicated member of the New Canaan Police Department will officially retire this year: K9 Apollo.

In a news release Monday, Police Lt. Marc DeFelice announced Apollo will retire as an active police dog after just under 10 years with the department.

According to DeFelice, Apollo was assigned to K9 Officer Sebastian Obando and has been serving and protecting New Canaan residents, as well as assisting neighboring agencies, since 2015.

Apollo was deployed numerous times during his last full year of service, most notably helping officers locate "an individual suffering from a mental episode" who jumped from the second floor of their home and was later found near a stream by officers with Apollo'a help, according to DeFelice.

Apollo was also recently deployed to a nearby town to help officers find a suspect possibly hiding inside someone's home while they were away. According to DeFelice, Apollo found the suspect hiding in the home's attic and the suspect was quickly arrested.

"K9 Apollo, along with the entire New Canaan Police K9 Program, would not be where they are today without the generous donations from the town's residents," DeFelice said in a news release, "along with the unmatched support from its community members."

DeFelice also noted the department plans to introduce its newest K9 in the coming weeks.