Decorated Vernon Police Dog Tengo Retires After 'Stellar' Career

VERNON, CT — Tengo, a decorated police dog with more than 200 actions to his credit over a seven-year career, retired from the force in Vernon Tuesday.

He is 9 years old and has a clean bill of health after several medical procedures over the past several months that included cancer treatment, an intestinal blockage and a surgery that left a several-inch scar on his back. Handler Jeffrey Condon said he will now have a happy life of leisure at home.

It was a "bittersweet" moment for Condon, who said he transferred to Vernon from a department without a canine unit to follow his dream of being a police dog handler.

In all, Tengo had about 250 deployments, police chief John Kelley said.

Tengo served in a patrol, narcotics and detective capacity and it didn't take him long to make his mark. Kelley said that, just three months after being certified, Tengo was dispatched to a burglary at Scranton Motors, during which an armed suspect quickly gave up.

"Tengo earned his right to have this ceremony," Kelley said. "He had a stellar career and we were all safer because of him."

Condon said one case that stands out was in December 2017 in the northeast part of town. He and Tengo tracked a suspect in a robbery and pistol-whipping incident at the Lafayette area Shell gas station for more than 2 miles into Tolland and forced him into the open, where the man was taken into custody. Condon said after a short rest, Tengo went into a wooded area, where he not only recovered the gun used in the caper, but a stash of drugs the suspect tried to hide under a pile of leaves and dirt.

In October 2017, Tengo located physical evidence that led to a DNA identification and subsequent 13-year prison sentence in a sexual assault case.

In 2018, Tengo recovered a knife that had been tossed into a nearby yard during a brawl that led to a stabbing.

In 2017, Tengo sniffed out a drug stash at a traffic stop that led to the seizure of 20 grams of crack, 28 grams of marijuana, a large amount of cash and packaging materials. The dealer wound up with a three-year prison sentence.

Before he and Tengo received their sign-off on the radio, an emotional Condon said his partner has been "happier and healthier" than he has been in months and looks forward to coming home to him after future shifts.