Baxter Police Department Retires K-9 After Knee Injury

The Baxter Police Department has announced their decision to retire their K-9 police dog from the force after he sustained a knee injury last year.

Rossi, who is a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois, started working with the department in 2017 at just a couple months old. Rossi injured his knee during training and took six months off to recover. He came back to the police force, but a short while after his return, he began limping.

The Baxter City Council approved Rossi’s retirement, and he has been sent to live with a foster family. The department hopes to welcome another police dog in the near future, but the decision is dependent upon the city’s budget to continue the K-9 program.

If the K-9 program is approved for next year, the department will welcome a new dog to begin training in January.