After spending the last decade helping her fellow officers track down missing people, comb through suspicious buildings and take down perpetrators carrying illegal narcotics, a 10-year veteran of the Dowagiac Police Department is enjoying a well deserved retirement.

On her agenda these days: playing fetch with one of her favorite tennis balls, chasing small animals around her yard and enjoying the occasional hotdog or handful of popcorn (her favorite snack) snuck to her under the kitchen table.

Dowagiac Police Department’s first ever K9, Cessy, spent her last day of active duty on July 3. The German shepherd, who has been a part of the force since 2005, will spend the rest of her years as civilian, serving as the steadfast watchdog and beloved pet for her handler, Sgt. Dave Davis, and his family.

Davis, a 20-year veteran of the Dowagiac department, has worked with Cessy for her entire time with the force. With his four-legged partner beginning to show signs of slowing down and slight hearing loss, Davis informed Director of Public Safety Steven Grinnewald that is was time for Cessy to move away from active duty.

“She turned 12 in June, and 12 is pretty a senior age for any German shepherd,” Davis said. “Police K9s are like athletes too, since they have to do a lot of jumping and running.”

Cessy joined the Dowagiac Police Department back in 2005, at the age of 2. She, along with another German shepard, Gigi, were purchased from Elkhart’s Rudy Drexler’s School For Dogs as part of the formation of the Cass County Drug Enforcement Team, with Cessy joining the Dowagiac department and Gigi joining the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

When then Police Chief Tom Atkinson made the decision to invest in a K9, Davis was chosen to serve as handler, spending months training and filling out the necessary to bring Cessy onboard, he said.

“I’ve always enjoyed animals,” Davis said. “I’ve always owned pets. And it was an area of law enforcement that always intrigued me, because the work can be very rewarding.”

A legitimate German shepherd, Cessy was born in Dusseldorf, Germany, which explains her love of snow, Davis said. Dual trained as a standard patrol dog and narcotics tracker, Davis and Cessy trained and worked together on regular basis, with Davis issuing commands to the K9 in her native tongue, he said.

“I’ve had to learn about half a dozen specific German words,” Davis said. “I’m sure I’ve butchered them over the years, but she’s managed to figure out what I’m saying.”

The pair averaged around 40-50 calls every year, with Cessy’s keen sense of smell helping the department uncover drugs hidden inside homes and vehicles, track down suspects or missing people and other important supportive tasks, Davis said.

Like a partnership between two human officers, Davis and Cessy have had their good days and bad days working together, he said. Learning how to direct and correct Cessy without discouraging or upsetting her gave Davis an appreciation for the virtues of patience and understanding, he said.

“There’s a real learning curve, for you to learn the dog and the dog to learn you,” Davis said.

Outside the office, though, Cessy has become a fixture of the Davis household, practically growing up alongside Davis’ teenage son, Zach. She has regularly gone on vacation alongside the Davis clan, traveling everywhere from Traverse City to Tennessee, Davis said.

With the average K9 remaining in service until they are around 9 or 10 years old, Cessy has more than earned her retirement, Davis said. Her counterpart, Gigi, has since retired as well, removed from active duty with the county last winter.

Chief Grinnewald said his department is considering purchasing another K9 in the future. Davis, who was promoted to Sergeant two years ago, will continue to oversee the unit, though his added administrative duties will prevent him from serving as a handler, he said.

“It’s time to give someone else a crack at it,” Davis said.