EVERETT — Topper, Snohomish County’s first arson-investigation dog, retired Monday after five years of service.
Topper, now 6 years old, worked for the Snohomish County Fire Marshal’s Office.
The dog was purchased and trained using money from grants.
His primary job was to look for the presence of ignitable materials that could have been used to start a fire, such as gasoline, diesel fuel or lighter fluid.
He also attended numerous public events, where he was popular with children.
Topper was called to more than 100 fires during his career. He worked at least nine cases that resulted in convictions and also helped with several homicide investigations.
Topper will spend retirement living with his handler, Snohomish County Deputy Fire Marshal Mike Makela.
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