Titus losing his job as Sequim K-9 dog

SEQUIM – Titus will sniff no more in Sequim come 2008. He’s losing his job.

The 4-year-old German shepherd, who with officer Mike Hill makes up the Sequim Police Department’s K-9 unit, will be declared city surplus early next year.

Titus is a drug dog who sniffs out narcotics. He had 240 hours of training at the K-9 academy on MacNeil Island, and he’s done well in his nearly three years at Hill’s side.

But crime trends in Sequim call for a dog with different skills, Hill said, and Titus is probably only a few years from retirement.

Violent crime and the department’s overall call load have leapt up in recent years, he added.