Yakima police dog Zorro retires with 126 arrests and 173 people found, and his handler is leaving too

Published on October 5, 2026

Yakima Police Department K-9 Zorro is retiring after a career that produced 376 deployments, 173 people found and 126 arrests, and his handler, Officer Brad Althauser, is leaving the department after nearly 15 years to work for another agency. Yakima is losing a proven police dog and a veteran cop at the same time.

The K9 Foundation Yakima Valley, the nonprofit that pays for much of the city’s police dog program, announced the retirement in a Facebook post that listed Zorro’s career numbers. The foundation also attended his retirement party, which came with cake and a Hawaiian shirt for the dog.

The retirement pulls a trained patrol dog out of a K-9 unit that was already small. Replacing that experience will take time and money.

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