Police canine Shengmi goes into retirement at age 11

Shengmi, an 11-year-old male Labrador who has been a superstar of the canine squad of Shanghai Metro police, has retired.

Shanghai Daily visited him at the police canine base in Minhang District on Thursday and talked to his former trainer and lifelong friend, police officer Lu Jie.

With dolls and stickers made after him, Shengmi is no doubt one of the most popular police canines in Shanghai.

The handsome dog became a hit on social networks in 2014 after people started to post his work photos on the Internet, and over the years, he has appeared in various public events of the police.

More than that, Shengmi was a professional explosive detection dog.

If an unattended suitcase is discovered at a Metro station, for example, Shengmi and his trained colleagues are sent in first to sniff out any dangerous materials before the police officers approach the scene.

During Shengmi's career, no explosives were ever detected at Metro stations in Shanghai, Officer Lu said.

"Shengmi and I have worked on many large public events both in Shanghai and in other cities," the policeman said. "He's a very reliable colleague."

Police officers who work with dogs attend to their partners and ensure that during long work hours the animals have access to water and food.

At the age of 11, Shengmi is almost as old as a 77-year-old man. He retired on Tuesday.

In appreciation of their contribution, police take good care of the canines post-retirement.

At the police canine base, Shengmi still has Lu for company in addition to physical attendants and medical help.

He had some weight issues after his work load was reduced some time ago and had some problem walking, but now he is fit again and walks normally, Lu stated.

Shengmi was the first ever police canine Lu trained and the lovely beast has changed Lu a lot.

"I was a very timid person, but working with Shengmi and meeting people together with him made me feel more confident in public," he explained.

Retired police canines are not ideal to be adopted by public. Most of them spend their old days at police canine bases, while a few go to live with their former trainers.

A total of 118 canines are working for Shanghai Metro police at the moment.