Photo by Shelley Hanson Retiring Wheeling Police Department K-9 Officer Zero poses during a short ceremony held for him at headquarters on Tuesday.

WHEELING — After more than five years of sniffing out illegal drugs, apprehending suspects and checking buildings, Wheeling Police Department K-9 Officer Zero gets to sleep in today and every day afterward, now that he is retired from duty.

Zero’s official retirement was celebrated Tuesday during a short ceremony inside the Wheeling Police Department headquarters in Center Wheeling.

Wheeling Police Department Shawn Schwertfeger said the 9-year-old canine officer had done his job “very, very well” during his time on the force.

“It is an honor today to recognize the retirement of Wheeling police officer Zero,” said Schwertfeger, adding that his handler, Wheeling Police Department Sgt. Jason Hupp was not retiring but moving into a supervisor position. “I met Zero when the owner brought him down here to show us. I had never seen a dog, a working animal, that had so much discipline. It was very impressive.

“For the last five and a half years, Zero has served the citizens and visitors of Wheeling very, very well,” he added. “You have one of the best police officers on the department handling this working dog and they’ve been very, very successful.”

Schwertfeger presented a plaque to the dog and Hupp.

Hupp was able to purchase Zero from the department and is keeping him at home as his pet.

WPD Cpl. Jason Martin, K-9 team leader, thanked Zero for his service.

“I wish him a happy retirement and a long life,” said Martin, who gifted the dog a new ball-fetching toy.

Schwertfeger said the department was able to purchase Zero thanks to funding from the Fitzsimmons Foundation of Wheeling. Zero was already a couple years old when first purchased; this shortened his time with the department compared to other K-9 officers.

“Much like myself, you can see the gray coming on,” Schwertfeger said of the dog’s muzzle fur.

The department still has three other K-9 officers, Jericho, Ozzy and Virgil. Zero’s position may be filled in the future.

Zero, a Belgian malinois, was born Dec. 12, 2014. Martin said Zero received thousands of hours of training in drug detection, suspect tracking and suspect apprehension. The department’s other K-9s are trained for those duties as well.

Hupp said he was thankful for the opportunity to serve on the K-9 Unit.

“A lot of people don’t know what these dogs do on a daily basis,” Hupp said. “They really do crack down on the drug epidemic and they make a change in the community. I wanted to thank the department; it’s been an honor.”