Russia’s first and only police corgi has announced his retirement from the force, ending the law enforcement career of one of Russia’s most compact officers.
Officer Ryzhiy (“Ginger” in English), 9, worked with the Nizhny Novgorod transport police for seven and a half years, sniffing out illegal drugs, weapons and explosives.
The jolly, short-legged corgi quickly became a local celebrity after his handlers created an Instagram page for him last summer. He now has more than 15,000 followers.
His resignation was submitted to the local Interior Ministry over the weekend.
“Now, my friends, I am a real pensioner!” reads the Instagram post announcing his retirement. The Instagram account will now update Ryzhiy’s followers on “the everyday life of a retired police dog” as well as the work of his former canine colleagues.
“I plan to play sports as often as I did before. And maybe I’ll even try to learn new disciplines (for example, dancing),” the dog’s account wrote.
Ryzhiy’s partner in crime enforcement, a Belgian Shepherd named Ziger, will soon be joined by a new four-legged companion, the corgi’s Instagram account said.
Ryzhiy initially joined the police force by accident, the Business FM radio station reported. His owner, also a police officer, brought him to work one day when the traffic police didn’t have enough dogs on hand. He quickly adapted to the task and earned a full-time job as a result.
Corgis are well-suited to working as police sniffing dogs but are too expensive for most police budgets, a Russian corgi breeder told Business FM. As a result, it remains unlikely that Russia will see any other corgi officers joining the ranks of its police.
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