The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department is growing its team.Faced with the near future retirement of its current police dog, 14-year-old Sari, the department just learned that it will receive two trained dogs in the coming months.

“We’ll be a two-and-a-half dog department soon,” said Sgt. Jim Lansing, who is Sari’s handler.

“Sari will wind down her career and then I hope we can use her in school presentations and other community events before she officially retires at the end of this year.”

The new dog was previously owned by a doctor, who does not want to be identified, that had purchased him for personal protection. But when the person decided they didn’t need the dog, they sought to donate him to a police department that could utilize his services.

The dog attended the Special Ops K-9 Academy in North Webster, Ind., where co-owner Brian Gagye is training him.

Gagye had previously certified Sari, and knowing of Sari’s imminent retirement, he called Lansing last Friday to make the offer.

The offer was graciously and swiftly accepted.

“It’s hard to pass up ‘free,’” Monroe County Sheriff Neal Rohlfing told the Republic-Times on Monday.

According to Lansing, the new K-9 dog’s name is Reggie.

He is a one-and-a-half-year-old, black and tan, AKC-registered, micro-chipped German shepherd that weighs about 80 pounds.

“He’s undergoing training to detect several drugs, including cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, cannabis and oxycontin. He is also being trained to work on and off a leash, to protect his handler, and as a tracker,” Lansing said.

A new handler from the MCSD, yet to be named, will travel to Indiana on March 16 to train with Reggie before they return to go on duty in the county.

This dog is coming to the county in addition to news last week that another police dog is being obtained through a $72,000 grant from the Howard Buffett Foundation, which will cover the price of the dog, training and a 2015 fully-loaded Chevrolet Tahoe equipped for K-9 operations.

This police dog will begin training this spring at Vohne Liche Kennels in Indiana.

Lansing will soon serve as lieutenant and chief deputy, so two new K-9 handlers will be chosen within the department.

Once both new police dogs begin service, the department will place them on different shifts to enhance K-9 availability.