Arthritis and injury have forced one of Gwinnett county’s K-9 dogs into retirement after a career of sniffing out drugs and other evidence.

Bella, a 9-year-old Belgian Malinois, retired April 19. She will spend the rest of her life with her longtime partner, Sgt. Christian Adams, and his family.

Bella came to the United States shortly after her birth in Slovakia in 2007. The police department obtained her from Southern Police Canine, a police dog training facility in North Carolina.

Initially, she served as solely as a narcotic-sniffing K9. But Adams trained her in tracking missing people and evidence recovery. Among other things, the county estimates she helped recover nearly $3.5 million in U.S. currency, more than 4,000 pounds of marijuana, 1,048 pounds of methamphetamine, 67 kilograms of cocaine and several dozen guns.

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In this file photo from October 2024, Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler and teammates react after losing to the San Diego Padres 5-4 in San Diego. The Braves and Soler, who now plays for the Los Angeles Angels, face a lawsuit by a fan injured at a 2021 World Series game at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

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