Clay County Sheriff’s Office retiring marijuana-sniffing dog

CLAY COUNTY, Mo. (KCTV) - The legalization of recreational marijuana in Missouri has led to the retirement of a marijuana-sniffing dog.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday that K9 Blaze is retiring now that possession of 3 ounces or less of marijuana is now legal in the Show-Me State. Given that Blaze is seven years old and had been in service with Deputy Larry Reeves since October 2016, it was determined that teaching her a new skill and reassigning her to a new program was unnecessary.

“Like she did when she was working, K9 Blaze will live with her handler in her retirement and enjoy lots of pets,” the Sheriff’s Office posted on social media. “She will continue to be a very good girl.”

K9 Blaze was the last patrol dog trained to detect marijuana. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said they have not been training canines on that scent anymore.

With the possession of up to 3 oz. of marijuana now legal in Missouri, we've retired our last patrol K9 who was trained to detect it. 7-year-old Blaze, a good girl, has served us well since 2016. Like she did in her career, she will live with her handler in retirement. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/LhPbCMNivS
— Clay County, Missouri Sheriff (@SheriffClayCo) December 8, 2022