FUREVER A PART OF THE TEAM: K9 Mia and her handler Douglas Chadwell stand with the Tifton Police Department, as Mia bids farewell and heads into retirement.

TIFTON — City council members bid a fond farewell to K-9 dog Mia at their September workshop meeting as she prepared to head into her retirement.

Human Resources director Rae Jones announced the police dog’s official retirement at the Sep. 11 city council meeting, thanking her on behalf of the city for her hard work for both Tifton and its police department.

Mia has served four years in the Tifton police department’s K-9 unit, during which she assisted the Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Tift County Sheriff’s Department in numerous tracking and narcotics operations.

Mia was also a member of the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association and placed third out of ninety-six dogs in a state-level narcotics competition.

This expert nose of hers aided her in accomplishing some of her crowning achievements, including busting nineteen pounds of methamphetamines, recovering $85,000 in a cash seizure, and locating a stabbing suspect under a mobile home.

Mia and her handler Douglas Chadwell were given a small gift on behalf of the city, as well as a commemorative wooden plaque bearing Mia’s name and position with the city’s K-9 unit.

Chadwell expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to train and work with Mia, and thanked both the city and the Tifton Police Department for their support.