Human or not, when a long-time employee retires, they deserve to be recognized for all the hard work they put in over the years. This was certainly the case yesterday when K9 Raja had her final day on the job with her handler, Sgt. Corey Waddell. The two of them worked together at the Henry County Sheriff’s Office in Martinsville, Virginia.
Raja first joined the force in July of 2017. After undergoing training, she earned a certification that prepared her to take on all sorts of duties. According to a Facebook post by the sheriff’s office, she was certified in building and area searches, tracking, aggression control, and more.
In the six years that she’s worked alongside Corey and others, this now 8-year-old has utilized her training to keep the people of her city and the surrounding areas safe. In fact, she’s assisted with many search warrants and calls in multiple jurisdictions and has even joined forces with the Virginia State Police.
“Raja has numerous successful apprehensions, searches and narcotics detections to her credit over the course of her 6 year career and has been an asset not only to the Henry County Sheriff’s Office but to all the agencies in this region,” their Facebook post reads.
In addition to all of the amazing work she has done, Raja has also become a loved teammate who we can only imagine will be greatly missed. In a video capturing her last moments on the job, Corey can be seen speaking with a dispatcher, letting them know K9 Raja was signing off for the last time.
“Deputy K9 Raja, as you have completed your last shift, the county of Henry would like to thank you for your nearly seven years of dedicated service…” the dispatcher said in response. “… We wish you a wonderful and enjoyable retirement with lots of treats and belly rubs. It is well deserved.”
Watch the entirety of the dispatcher’s final words for K9 Raja in the video below.
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