VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — On Thursday, Virginia Beach Sheriff's deputies issued a final sendoff for one of the city's four-legged protectors.
This week, explosion detection K-9 Gaston retired from the Sheriff's Office after more than 1,600 completed searches across the Hampton Roads region.
Gaston’s handler, Sgt. Aaron Whitehead, told 13News Now that Gaston's mind is as sharp as ever, but some of the job's more physical demands are getting more difficult.
Since 2019, Gaston completed hundreds of searches across coastal Virginia, including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, Norfolk International Airport, Old Dominion University and more.
"We did a lot of pre-emptive screenings, we’ve done Something in the Water, some presidential nominees that have come through, graduations, artists that have come to the amphitheater, request screenings from explosive detection dogs," Sgt. Whitehead said.
Gaston has completed searches in tandem with the Virginia Beach Police Department, Portsmouth Police Department, Old Dominion University Police Department and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Virginia Beach’s Wasserhund Brewing Company has previously honored the K-9 with a “Deputy Gaston” beer.