After 10 years on duty, Kerala Police dog Samantha heads home with her handler

On September 19, 2026, after a decade of dedicated service, Kerala Police dog Samantha retired from active duty along with her handler George Antony. The veteran Labrador, identified as K9-286, bid farewell to her colleagues at the Pathanamthitta district police headquarters. Samantha, who had served as a narcotics sniffer and contributed to over 350 investigations, was handed over to Antony, who had volunteered to care for her during her retirement.

The farewell ceremony, marked by discipline and respect, saw Samantha salute District Police Chief R. Anand and receive a salute and garland in return. Anand praised Samantha's service, highlighting her role in major operations like Toofan and her contributions to the police K9 squad. Antony, who has been attached to Samantha since his training days, expressed his deep connection with the dog, calling her "like a daughter to me."

Samantha joined the K9 squad as a narcotics detector and went on to secure third place in tracking and scent identification at the 2023 State Police Duty Meet. Currently, the Pathanamthitta K9 squad comprises six trained dogs, each specializing in narcotics detection, crime-scene tracking, or explosives detection, with handlers assigned to each dog.