After 8 years K9’s Flynn and Kubla Khani will retire.
- Two veteran Cape Town Metro Police dogs have called it a day.
- Flynn and Kubla Khani are retiring from the K9 unit after eight years on the job.
- They will now relax at home with two officers from the unit.
After an eight-year stint with the Cape Town Metro Police K9 unit, two of the dogs have earned a relaxing retirement.
“The K9s have added a different dimension when out patrolling with law enforcement,” said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith
According to the City of Cape Town, between 1 July 2019 and 30 September 2020, the unit made 265 arrests, of which nearly 70% were drug related.
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They confiscated 15 330 units of drugs – with mandrax being the most common drug recovered – R85 721 in cash, seven firearms and imitation firearms, and 52 rounds of ammunition.
During the hard Covid-19 lockdown, the K9s also played a crucial role on the frontline, conducting searches at roadblocks, instead of their handlers, and thus mitigating the risk of exposure to the virus.
Smith added that both dogs were now officially non-operational, and would be going to their new adopted homes in the next week or so, once the necessary paperwork was finalised.
Flynn, a German Shepherd/cattle dog, and Kubla Khani, a Sable German Shepherd, “handed in” their badges after eight years of service with the unit, but all is not lost as the dogs have been adopted by two officers in the K9 unit.
K9 dog with law enforcement officer
Photo Supplied
Constables Sharone Larry and Constable Clinton Adams will take complete ownership of the dogs so they will “remain part of the K9 family”, said the City.
Both dogs were born in 2011 and acquired by the metro police in 2013.
K9 Flynn was trained to protect, but also to detect explosives.
His biggest bust came in 2015 when he led officers to hand grenades, a mortar, and R5 magazines and ammunition buried in an open field in Montana.
Sergeant Celestina Temmis said:
Although he was excellent at his job, Flynn could also be very stubborn. When he got distracted, you could not get anything out of him, particularly on hot days.
She recalls how he would impress many bystanders with his impressive bite work during their K9 education and awareness shows.
“Flynn will be dearly missed, but we thank him for his hard work,” Temmis said.
Kubla Khani picked up an injury during training, which means that she can’t pursue active duty anymore.
After 8 years members of the K9 unite will retire
Photo Supplied
Instructor Teryl Koen added that the dog had a very good temperament and was extremely intelligent.
“Khani’s been known to make her presence felt, having disrupted more than a few meetings with her morning barks,” gushed Koen.
The metro police K9 unit currently has 19 active canines and two are still in training.
“The unit was established as part of safety and security planning for the 2010 Soccer World Cup and has scored numerous goals since, with countless successes. We are immensely proud of the work being done by the K9 unit, and we also thank K9s Flynn and Khani for their contribution to the team’s success,” said Smith.
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