Botswana Police K9 Unit observed a somber moment this week as they laid to rest their famous sniffer dog Julius, affectionately known as Boots, which succumbed to Lymphoma –blood cancer at the age of 10.
Boots gained popularity in 2017 during operations by the Botswana Police Service led by the Director of Crime Intelligence, Nunu Lesetedi, to uproot illegal drugs in and around Gaborone.
She became a marvel to watch on national television leaving no stone unturned when searching for illegal drugs.
While on duty, she once discovered a bag containing over P19 000 in one of the homesteads in Broadhurst, suspected to be proceeds of drug sales.
Botswana Police Spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Dipheko Motube, confirmed Boots ‘death.
He said she was admitted twice in December and beginning of this year and that veterinary doctors confirmed she had blood cancer.
He said they gave her a decent send off on Thursday that Veterinary officers cremated her body.
“We bought her in 2013 for R9 000 and she was still a puppy. She underwent training specifically for sniffing drugs. This is a great loss to Botswana police. We spent a lot in training Boots and she had to go through various trainings in Newfoundland, Britain, South Africa and locally. Boots was very intelligent and very good at her job. She is survived by eight puppies and we have trained them for sniffing drugs and explosives,” said Motube
