He was all about the chase, not the bite. Hardworking Pierce County K-9 retires

Pierce County Sheriff’s Department K-9 Zepp led over 200 tracks and captures alongside his handler, deputy Levi Redding. Now it’s finally time for him to get some rest as he nears his ninth birthday.

The sheriff’s department posted an announcement on Facebook celebrating the career of Zepp, a German Shepherd, who retired last month. It celebrated the dog’s unique tendency to chase but not bite.

“There were hot pursuits through the darkness that ended with Zepp being found triumphantly standing with all 4 legs on top of a suspect or Zepp being petted by a violent fleeing felon,” the department wrote in the Facebook post. “And you better believe that K-9 Zepp was grinning from ear to ear.”

The announcement went on to say that Zepp wasn’t aggressive but determined and hard-working, especially when it came to scent work.

Some of Zepp’s most famous captures include two in September 2018: one when he swam through a swamp in freezing temperatures to track a suspect, and another where he pulled a suspect away from a loaded firearm, likely saving the lives of the deputies arriving at the scene.

When he first met Zepp, Redding was inspired to name him after the “Black Dog” song by Led Zepplin. Zepp will now live out his retirement years at the home of Redding, his handler, alongside an English bulldog named Molly.

Redding has already begun training with a new K-9 named Ripp, who is a Belgian Malinois.

Commenters on Facebook from Pierce County wrote that Zepp has a beautiful smile.