Mussel seeking canine retires from the B.C. Conservation Officer Service

Photo: BCCOS

After eight years, this K9 is retiring.

A canine with an acute sense of smell is headed into retirement.

After eight years of keeping B.C. lakes free of invasive mussels, the Conservation Officer Service's announced K9 Kilo is off duty.

Kilo was the first search and detection dog in B.C. trained to sniff out invasive zebra and quagga mussels.

"During his career on the Invasive Mussel Defence Program frontlines, Kilo conducted more than 200 high-risk vessel inspections and detected more than two dozen positive mussel contaminations; allowing human staff to decontaminate watercraft and take enforcement action as necessary," the Conservation Service said in a post to its social media accounts.

They added that Kilo’s success helped shape the expansion of the COS K9 program.

“Kilo was an amazing partner and will be greatly missed in the field. Kilo is also trained to search for people and evidence, including bear parts and shell casings, and assisted in numerous COS investigations,” his handler, COS Sgt. Dan Bartol said in the statement.

“Kilo’s abilities are uniquely exceptional and there is simply no substitute, human or mechanical, that can achieve what Kilo can and has done with his nose.”

Kilo was also an immensely popular attraction at any of the numerous public events he attended. From trade shows to university lectures, presentations with Indigenous communities, partner agencies and municipalities, Kilo drew positive attention to the diverse work of the COS.