Retiring Miami Beach K-9 Opens Police Cars With Nose

MIAMI BEACH, FL — K-9 Mikey, a 10-year-old Belgian Malinois, can open a Miami Beach police car with his nose. He once even caught a murder suspect in nearby Miami. But Friday was a bittersweet day for Mikey and his fellow officers at the city's police department.

After seven years of service in this urban resort town, K-9 Mikey turned in his badge and retired from active duty in the Miami Beach K-9 unit. (Sign up for our free Daily Newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Miami Beach Patch.)

"I believe he’ll be spoiled now which he deserves," acknowledged the department's Emilio Garcia, who has been Mikey's handler for five of those seven years.

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Garcia is going to be doing the spoiling.

Like any great partnership, Garcia is keeping his alive by bringing Mikey home to live out his days as a civilian pet.

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"It's the least we can do for him. I can just actually give him a life of fun and happiness," said Garcia. "He’s done a lot for me. He’s done a lot for the city. So the least we can do is just in turn reward him, and let him be a dog and let him have fun."

Garcia recalled how Mikey brought a murder suspect to justice a couple of years ago in nearby Miami.

"They thought that the guy was actually going to be in another part of the perimeter," recalled Garcia. "The the next thing that I know, I’m asking a guy to come out of some hedges and some bushes. He didn’t comply. Our best asset here, my best bud — he decided to go in and get him for me."

While Mikey is all business when he needs to be, he's also great with children.

"We figured out that we have the best of both worlds," according to Garcia. "We have a dog that can go out do his job — do everything that we need him to do — and then in turn take him to the youngest of kids and be playful, with adults as well, and just be a normal dog."

Under Miami Beach policy, all of Mikey's future vet bills will be paid for by the city.

"The least we can do is just in turn reward him, and let him be a dog and let him have fun," added Garcia.

Watch Mikey open a Miami Beach police car with his nose:

Emilio Gardia of the Miami Beach Police Department plans to spoil his former partner, Mikey. Photo and video by Miami Beach Police Department.