Please Welcome K-9 Basco #320

Please welcome K-9 “Basco” to the Project K-9 Hero Pack, as our 320th Program Member. Basco honorably served as a Patrol Apprehension/Narcotics Detection Police K-9 at a municipal Law Enforcement agency in Northern California, from 2015 to 2025.

K-9 Basco is a ten-year old German Shepherd, that spent nine years serving the State of California, helping keep its citizens and visitors safe from dangerous criminals and drugs. Throughout his career, K-9 Basco was deployed to assist in over 800 incidents. He played a crucial role in the successful apprehension of over 130 suspects, participated in 65 SWAT-related missions, located approximately 60 total pounds of illegal substances, and helped seize nearly $100,000 in U.S. currency.

When Basco wasn’t on patrol, he took part in hundreds of public demonstrations to educate the community about his capabilities and skills, bringing smiles to thousands of children and adults alike. His very first mission involved tracking the path of a missing 8-year-old child who had run away from home in the middle of the night. Basco’s ability to follow the child’s scent ultimately led us to safely locating the child. His very last mission involved apprehending an armed carjacking suspect, showcasing his continued dedication and skill right up to retirement.

On January 4th, 2025, K-9 Basco retired from duty, but that came with a list of previous and current medical issues that are no longer covered by the agency he served, causing an extreme financial hardship on his Handler who is still active as an Officer in Law Enforcement. This includes a B12 deficiency that he has had for the past seven years that require bi-weekly injections, lingering effects from an ACL tear he suffered two years ago, and a serious groin injury that occurred just five weeks ago, while he was tracking an armed suspect just days before his official retirement.