Florida K-9 Back on Duty After Cancer Surgery

K-9 Boss is back on duty for the City of Miami Police Department after surviving cancer. His K-9 unit recently received a grant to assist with his medical expenses. The collaborative grant is from the National Police Dog Foundation and the Search Dog Foundation who administers funds provided by the Petco Foundation for the treatment of cancer in K-9s.

Boss, a Belgian Malinois who has worked for the Department for seven years, was found to have a cancerous growth in his spleen. His one-month recovery from the spleen removal was followed by three weeks limited duty. He also received time off for bloat surgery.

Despite all of the spleen's functions, dogs can live normally without their spleen. Most dogs never have a problem.

"K-9 Boss is definitely a fighter. Even the doctors are amazed [at] how well he's recovered from his surgeries. He's eager to work and still gives Sgt. Perez a good pull when he's out training. K-9 Boss is here with us today thanks to the amazing service and care provided by Knowles Animal Clinics," says Lt. Maurice Sodre, City of Miami Police Department SWAT/Canine K-9 unit.

K-9 Boss is charged with responding to situations that necessitate the specialized skills of the canine teams. As a dual-purpose canine, these situations include interior and exterior searches, evidence searches, and narcotic detection. Boss participates weekly in service training and must pass annual proficiency evaluations.

Boss participated in the United States Police Canine Association (USPCA) National Trials. He placed 2nd in obedience, 2nd in team trials, and was placed 11th overall dog in the nation.

While he still loves to train dual purpose, K-9 Boss is mainly deployed for narcotic detection sniffs.