Is Dunn Police Department Overworking Aging, Arthritic K-9? PETA Asks Chief to Retire Senior Dog

For Immediate Release:
October 13, 2025

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

After obtaining records revealing that a K-9 named Apacs used by the Dunn Police Department had surgery to remove a tumor over the summer and has repeatedly been prescribed medications and therapies typically used to treat osteoarthritis and anxiety, PETA today sent a letter to Acting Chief of Police Major Nicholas Simmons and City Manager Justin Hembree urging them to retire the senior German shepherd.

According to the records, Apacs has been prescribed Rimadyl—a pain medication commonly used to treat arthritis—since 2022 and has undergone therapy sessions used for dogs with arthritis or degenerative joint diseases. He has also been prescribed Trazadone, which is used to treat anxiety or keep dogs calm in stressful situations. PETA notes that the average lifespan for this large breed is only seven to 10 years—and Apacs, who is nearly nine years old, has already spent seven years being worked.

“K-9s don’t choose to ‘work’ and put their lives on the line, but Apacs has served his community loyally for seven years, and no elderly dog should be forced to continue working through painful health problems,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA urges the Dunn Police Department to reconsider its use of K-9s entirely and give Apacs the retirement he deserves and allow him to live out his golden years in the comfort of a loving home.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.