After years of service protecting the Chattanooga community, the Chattanooga Police Department (CPD) is honoring the retirement of two members of its K9 Unit: K9 Burt, a decorated patrol and narcotics detection dog, and K9 Duke, who ultimately found his true calling outside of police work.
K9 Burt, an 11-year-old Belgian Malinois, retired after 10 years of distinguished service with the CPD. Throughout his career, Burt assisted in the apprehension of hundreds of violent offenders, helped recover numerous illegal firearms and supported investigations alongside every local law enforcement agency and several federal agencies.
As a narcotics detection canine, Burt was responsible for locating more than $3 million in illegal narcotics and currency during his career. Among his most significant contributions were three separate cases in which he located more than 1,000 fentanyl pills, helping remove dangerous drugs from the community and potentially saving countless lives.
“K9 Burt exemplified the courage and reliability that every handler hopes for in a partner,” said MPO Luke Timmons, Burt’s handler throughout his entire career. “What makes me most proud is that no officers were ever injured by suspects during any of Burt’s deployments.”
Having a single handler for an entire working career is a rarity among police K9s, making the partnership between Burt and Timmons even stronger.
Burt also earned recognition beyond Chattanooga for his exceptional performance in training and competition. He was named the United States Police Canine Association (USPCA) Regional Top Dog in both narcotics detection and dual-purpose certifications. During the USPCA Detector Dog Challenge, Burt earned first place honors in the room-search portion of the competition before an untimely bathroom break during the vehicle-search event derailed his chances at the overall title – even elite, highly trained police dogs go when they have to go.
In 2020, Spike’s K9 Fund recognized Burt as its inaugural K9 of the Year after he apprehended a violent gang member hiding in the attic of a residence.
While K9 Duke’s career followed a different, less illustrious path, he will be remembered as part of the Chattanooga Police Department family.
Despite many months of extensive training sessions, Duke consistently demonstrated that police work was not of interest to him. Instead, he made it clear his preferred assignment was life as a family companion. Ultimately, the K9 Unit retired Duke early and found him a loving home. Duke was originally purchased using grant funding, and all grant requirements were satisfied before his early retirement.
The Chattanooga Police Department thanks both K9 Burt and K9 Duke for their time with the department and recognizes the commitment of the handlers, families, and community members who support the K9 Unit.
The Chattanooga Police Department wishes both K9s a long, healthy retirement.
