HCSO K9 Roxy set to retire after 8.5 years of service

By Rob Moore, Public Information Officer for the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office

Habersham County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) Explosive Ordnance Detection K9 Roxy is set to wrap up her storied career at the end of August.

Roxy, a German Shepherd imported from the Netherlands, has worked with Lt. Eugene Kemp to keep the Habersham County Courthouse safe, while also assisting other agencies across Georgia.

Roxy, who began with the agency on January 17, 2018, has been involved in some major assignments, including assisting the U.S. Secret Service with President Trump’s visit to Atlanta, the FIFA World Cup 2026, Superbowl LIII in Atlanta in 2019, Taylor Swift The Eras Tour in 2023, SEC games held at Mercedes Benz Stadium, college football playoff games, Peachtree Road Races in Atlanta, as well as responding to assist other agencies.

Notable statistics for K9 Roxy are as follows:

• Deployments – 1,600;
• Searched 37,598 environments;
• Searched 19,991 rooms;
• Searched 7,832 vehicles;
• Searched 2,955 lockers;
• Searched 4,214 luggage;
• Searched 939 parcels/items;
• Located 2 firearms.
• Assisted 25 agencies.

Georgia Emergency Management Agency / Homeland Security’s 83 EOD K9 teams across Georgia like Roxy and Lt. Kemp are trained to detect 22 different types of explosives.

K9 Roxy’s last day as an active K9 with Habersham County Sheriff’s Office will be August 31, 2026.