Rutherford County Sheriff’s K-9 Balu dedicated his career to protecting his partner, Deputy Josh Gregory, sniffing out drugs and catching criminals.

German Shepherd Balu and Gregory protected each other many times, like when two Georgia murder suspects fired several rounds into Gregory’s sheriff’s cruiser during a pursuit last July on Interstate 24.

The K-9 is trained to sprint toward gunfire to try to figure the origin of the shots.

“They were shooting at me and I was just trying to hold him to protect him,” Gregory said. 

But now Balu gets to relax and chew on bones since he retired Friday after eight years of dedicated service.

Gregory and Balu spent 40 hours a week and more together at work for the past 4-1/2 years.

“I spend more time with him than I do my family,” Gregory said.

Balu, who had two previous partners at the Sheriff’s Office, trained as a dual purpose patrol dog. He detected illegal narcotics and tracked and apprehended felons with his bite.

He detected 14 kilos of cocaine valued at $1 million concealed in a flat-bed trailer Wednesday during a traffic stop on Interstate 24.  He didn’t slack off on his last day of work. He indicated marijuana in a suspect’s car.

Balu led his partners to methamphetamine, heroin and 52 pounds of marijuana in his career.

He detained numerous felony suspects, including a suspect caught in the act of stealing items from a store.

“We’re always in the middle because of being a K-9 team,” Gregory said.

Balu knows it’s time to go to work when he sees Gregory wearing his uniform.

“He’s going to be mad when he doesn’t go to work Monday,” Gregory said. “He gets upset when he doesn’t get to go.”

Instead, Balu will spend his retirement living happily with Gregory’s family.

“According to my daughter, that’s her dog and not my dog,” Gregory said.