Sheriff's K-9 officially retires from duty

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Deputy Trevor Clancy and his partner, Vasku, have been fighting crime together for four years, but now the Belgian Malinois is officially retiring from duty.

"Today, he was excited because he got to get in that car today and get out at least one more last time," Deputy Clancy said. "It's nice because he has done a lot for the county. It's having worked with him the last four years. It's nice to be able to recognize that these guys are a part of the family and that they can come back, have a nice enjoyable life after they are done working hard for the county."

The Maricopa County board of supervisors recognized both Deputy Clancy and Vasku for their service and officially transferred ownership to Deputy Clancy.

"We've definitely created a bond over the last four years that I've had him, so it's fun, it's fun to kind of see a little bit of a different personality with the dog now that he's a lot more part of the family because he's not a working dog anymore," Deputy Clancy said. "He's definitely more relaxed... a different side to him."

Vasku is 9 years old and has been serving for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and its citizens since 2010. He is a dual-purpose patrol and apprehension dog and narcotics detection canine that was certified by the National Police Canine Association and National Narcotics Dog Association.

"As far as narcotics detection, he's good at going in there and even with that a lot of times somebody thinks that there's some illegal substance in their vehicle or something, we tell them there's dogs and they're like OK," Deputy Clancy said. "They tell us where it is."

Deputy Clancy says Vasku is already enjoying his down time and is grateful he had such a loyal partner for so many years.