The New Canaan Police Department’s K9 dog, a German Shepherd from Washington state who came here in 2015 to help apprehend suspects, find missing people and sniff out drugs, is set to retire, officials say.
New Canaan Police K-9 Officer Sebastian Obando with Apollo.
Apollo “was deployed numerous times” during his last full year of service, NCPD said in a press release, including one memorable instance where he helped officers find “an individual suffering from a mental episode.”
“This individual had jumped from the second floor of their residence and with the assistance of K9 Apollo and other emergency services the individual was located near a stream,” the press release said. “Recently, K9 Apollo was deployed to a neighboring town, where there was a possible suspect hiding inside someone’s residence while they were away. K9 Apollo successfully located the suspect hidden in the attic of the residence and was taken into custody on scene.”
2022 photo of New Canaan Police K-9 dog Apollo. Photo courtesy of NCPD
Fed by local retailer Pet Pantry Warehouse and handled since last year by Officer Sebastian Obando, Apollo joined the department as an 18-month-old. He participated in community events and demonstrations until 2017, when his former handler went on extended medical leave and the animal entered specialized boarding. (That former handler would later bring a grievance against the department and ultimately was let go following his arrest in a dog abuse case that remains active in state Superior Court.)
Apollo returned around late-2022 appeared at last year’s Dog Days at the Nature Center.
NCPD plans to introduce its new K9 dog “in the coming weeks,” the press release said.
Monies for Apollo’s care have been drawn from a privately supported fund that has benefitted from “generous donations from the town’s residents, along with the unmatched support from its community members,” the release said.
Is someone adopting Apollo? If not, where will he be sent?
Apollo is being adopted by NCPD Officer Emily Clark. The police will issue a press release soon. Noting here that this isn’t the first act of dog love from our terrific officers — one of the neglected Butler Lane dogs rescued a few years back was adopted by Officer Annamaria Ceci.