Photo Gallery | Retired police K-9 dies after 6 years of service

The Columbia Police Department announces the loss of one of their own.

On May 9, retired police K-9 Mesha passed away.

Mesha was a 12-year-old Belgian Malinois who joined the Columbia Police Department in 2005 from the Greer Police Department.

For six years, Mesha and her partner Mike Wines patrolled the streets of Columbia and were credited with the capture of numerous suspects along with the seizure of large amounts of illegal drugs.

In February 2012, Mesha was retired from service and lived out the remainder of her time with Wines and his family.

During National Police Week, held from May 13-19, Wines traveled to Washington, D.C. to honor Mesha for her service with the department and the citizen’s of Columbia, SC.

In her honor, Mesha's picture and collar were placed on the Law Enforcement Memorial to always be remembered by all.