(La Porte County, IN) - The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office is losing a loyal officer to retirement.

 

The department has announced that K9 Bosco, effective July 28, has ended his policing duties and will focus on a perhaps more important career path.

 

Bosco, a ten-year-old Belgian Malinois, joined the force in 2018 and has put together one of the most impressive careers in department history. Known to many as the “Million-Dollar Dog,” Bosco has earned a highly respected reputation throughout the Midwest in the area of highway interdiction. If Bosco had a baseball card, the back of it would showcase some hall-of-fame numbers:

 

- Drug-associated currency seized: $3,378,477
- Cocaine/Crack Cocaine: 55.66 kilograms
- Methamphetamine: 173.73 kilograms
- Heroin: 10.37 kilograms
- Fentanyl: 12.59 kilograms
- Marijuana: 2,093.49 pounds
- THC cartridges: 5,113

- 13 one (1) ounce gold bars
- Vehicles seized: 2

 

According to a LPCSO statement, discussions began earlier this year about retiring Bosco, who had previously transitioned to a single-purpose narcotics detail. Although still performing at a remarkably high level, Bosco had begun showing subtle signs of aging.

 

His handler, Deputy Jon Samuelson, agreed this spring to take on another K9 partner.

 

Then May 22nd happened.

 

Samuelson was shot three times and critically injured during a violent encounter in the emergency room at Franciscan Health in Michigan City. According to Sheriff’s Captain Derek Allen, Samuelson was on his way to training that day, and Bosco was not with him.

 

The faithful K9 was able to visit Samuelson in the ICU and has been cared for recently by other members of the department. Now Bosco is ready to focus on just being a member of the Samuelson family.

 

Bosco’s duty now is to be by his partner’s side on a long road to recovery. Maybe it’s not so much a retirement as it is a lateral transfer.