For former Carrboro police officer Paul Reinas and his 8-year-old K-9, Allie, the phrase “man’s best friend” just isn’t enough.
Reinas worked for the Carrboro Police Department for eight years as a K-9 handler. He worked with Allie for five of those years.
Now Reinas has moved on to work for the Apex Police Department. Luckily for him, Allie — a Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd mix — was ready to move on as well.
“They don’t want the whole dog’s life to be work,” Reinas said. “By the time the department found another handler, the new handler would have to go through training, but Allie was too old.”
Capt. Chris Atack, spokesman for the Carrboro Police Department, said the dogs usually retire at about the age of 10, but Allie was an exception. She officially retired Sept. 24.
“Around the age of 10, we see if they are physically able to work in the field,” Atack said.
He said training the dog with a new owner takes several weeks.
“They go through an eight- to 12-week training,” Atack said. “They have a certain number of hours they must train in order to be ready, and they would literally train every day of the week.”
Carrboro Alderman Lydia Lavelle helps award these retired dogs to their previous handlers after the dogs are considered unfit for field work. She said she knows how close the bond is between the K-9s and their handlers, making her job very emotional.