The Orange County Sheriff Department is saddened to announce the passing of retired Police Service Dog, “Luna.”
Luna, a 14-year-old Belgian Malinois, passed away Sunday, March 31, comforted by her handler, Deputy Jones.
PSD Luna was born in the Netherlands in January 2005 and was certified in the sport of Koninklijke Nederlandse Politehond Vereniging, or KNPV. After the certification process, she joined the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in 2009 and received her first assignment as a narcotics detection canine.
Luna was first assigned to now-retired reserve Deputy Doug Williams and the two worked patrol for several years until Deputy Williams was transferred in 2012 to the OCSD Mounted Unit.
In January 2013, Deputy Jones was selected as Luna’s new handler and the pair was assigned to the Theo Lacy Facility to conduct narcotic sniffs inside the jail. In addition, the team would assist patrol, probation and other partner agencies with narcotic sniffs and search warrants. Deputy Jones and Luna were deployed more than 400 times to search for narcotics.
The pair also starred in many public demonstrations, in which Luna showed off her ability to quickly locate narcotics odor.
In August 2015, Deputy Jones was transferred to patrol in the City of Lake Forest and Luna was retired from service.
PSD Luna enjoyed her retirement with Deputy Jones and his family by taking daily walks, showing off for family and friends and playing fetch at the park.
Luna will be missed and remembered by her partner, Deputy Jones, his family and the men and women of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department who had the honor of working with her.
