Update

PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Blackie, Plettenberg Bay's former furry crime fighter, is seemingly enjoying retirement keeping his fellow four-legged friends in check.

It has been a month since the nine-year-old German shepherd's retirement from active duty and according to his former handler and friend Otto Olivier, Blackie has been enjoying retirement. 

"Although he is no longer part of official operations, he is still riding in the car with us as we patrol the Bitou streets. He is keeping an eye on our other K9, Zeus, and ensuring that he does his job properly," Olivier, operations head of the Plettenberg Bay Crime Prevention Association (PBCPA).

Blackie and Olivier were involved in a serious car accident in October 2021. Olivier said that his beloved dog was never the same after the incident and started showing behavioural changes.

In recent months he also started noticing that Blackie was slowly losing his sight. A decision was then made for Blackie to retire from active duty and this transition was done over a month. He officially bowed out last month.

Blackie's history is a remarkable one. He was found wandering the streets of Plett after being abandoned by his owners and caught the attention of the Plettenberg Bay Animal Welfare Society (Paws). It took Paws about two weeks to catch him, but from that moment Blackie's talents were noticed - and the rest is history.

The Plettenberg Bay Ratepayers Association financially backed his adoption and service training and he became Plett's first K9 crime fighter and part of the PBCPA team with Olivier as his handler. 

Blackie received his training at Tactical K9 Africa trainers at Swartruggens and immediately impressed the training team.

Over the years Blackie shone in his work. He was involved in the arrests of 47 crime suspects. He even received a "hero award" from the Plett community. "He is still loved by the community and everywhere we go, community members stop to greet him and offer a treat."

When Blackie isn't tagging along in their patrol vehicle, he enjoys spending time living the "family life" at the Oliviers' home.

‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’