Smitty the Indiana State Police K9 reaches well-earned retirement
ISP INDIANA -- Indiana State Police K9 Smitty has officially retired, after faithfully serving the people of Indiana for 8 years, working alongside his partner, Trooper Doug Weaver.
K9 Smitty, a ten-year-old Belgian Malinois, was chosen as a dual-purpose K9 for the Indianapolis District in 2017 and originally partnered with Sgt. Jon Haugh. Following Sgt. Haugh's promotion, K9 Smitty was reassigned to Trooper Weaver in 2021. K9 Smitty and his handler, Trooper Doug Weaver, completed the 14-week school conducted by ISP K9 Master Trainers and earned a dual-purpose certification, including obedience, narcotics detection, tracking, apprehension, handler protection, article searches, area searches, and building searches.
K9 Smitty impacted the community through demonstrations at local schools and at community events. He demonstrated his skills in drug recognition while educating the community on how K9’s keep it safe. Smitty’s services were utilized and trusted by local and federal agencies on 216 occasions.
K9 Smitty never missed work during his eight-year career due to injury or illness. He will live the rest of his life in retirement chasing tennis balls instead of bad guys at home with the Weaver family.