On Monday, March 10th, the Benton City Council officially retired Benton Police Department’s K-9, Lucky due to an illness he is suffering from.
Last summer it was discovered that Lucky was suffering from a serious degenerative joint disease in his back. Lucky was allowed to continue working while being closely monitored for any additional problems or issues from it. Unfortunately, it was recently discovered through a physical exam that his condition had progressed to the point that he can no longer perform his duties without being in pain.
Lucky was born in 2006 and began service with his handler, Sgt. Brian Bigelow, in January 2008. During his time of service with the department, Lucky has been responsible for the seizure of:
•520.4 lbs. of marijuana
•38.5 lbs. of cocaine
•4.9 lbs. methamphetamine
•Over 500 dosage units of prescription medication
•Small amount of heroin
•Over $208,000 in US currency
•Several vehicles used to transport illegal narcotics
During his career, Lucky helped to not only rid the streets of illegal narcotics, but he also touched many other people’s lives through the numerous community events he attended and special programs for kids.
Lucky will have to be on medication for his illness the remainder of his life and hopefully the more relaxed atmosphere will help slow down the progression of the disease. The City of Benton officially abandoned its ownership interests in K-9 Lucky (Resolution Number 13 of 2014) and he will live out the remainder of his life with Sgt. Bigelow from this point forward.
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