Sarasota K-9 Retires Early

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is bidding a fond farewell to one of its loyal officers.

K-9 Koa has been officially retired from service following five years on the force. Koa was put into early retirement following two surgeries and because the four-legged deputy suffers from polyarthritis, the agency explained in an email to media.

“Koa had 343 deployments that included tracking and conducting area searches, building searches and narcotics ‘sniffs,’” the email said. “During that time, Koa located 36 subjects, including criminal suspects and missing persons.”

Koa, a German Shepherd born in Holland, began training with Sgt. Troy Sasse in October 2010.

Photo courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office

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