IRVINE : Police Retire Aging Dog in Ceremony

City leaders and police officers on Thursday bid a fond farewell to Crambo, a veteran K-9 officer who is retiring after seven years with the department.

At a ceremony in the Civic Center plaza, the 9 1/2-year-old German shepherd was praised for his bravery and crime-fighting skills. Police Chief Charles S. Brobeck also presented him with a special Irvine police badge attached to a leather neck collar.

Crambo’s longtime partner, Officer John Moreland, said the dog had been moving slower in recent months and that both he and the department’s K-9 trainer thought it was time for the animal to retire. The 90-pound dog had gained some weight recently and his once-brown-and-black snout is now covered with gray hair.

“He was slowing down a little,” Moreland said. “He used to stay awake and alert during the whole night shift. He was beginning to sleep a little.”

Crambo and Moreland cruised the streets of Irvine together for more than three years. Moreland drove a police four-wheel-drive vehicle with a special door he could open with a remote control to let the dog out.

Crambo’s primary responsibilities were to sniff out drugs, find lost children and flush out suspects evading police.

Moreland said that Crambo’s greatest achievement came several years ago when the dog was able to roam through a five-acre recreational vehicle storage lot and find two burglary suspects hiding in one of the vehicles. In his seven years on the force, Crambo has found 20 suspects.

“It’s amazing how fine their sense of smell is,” Moreland said.

Crambo was born and trained in Germany. He will spend his retirement with the Moreland family, who purchased the dog from the Police Department for $1.

“He’s a very friendly dog,” Moreland said. “He’s a good companion.”

Crambo will be replaced on the force by Corkey, a Belgian malinois. The department has a second K-9 in Lex, also a Belgian malinois.