After nearly a decade of protecting the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, a beloved dog named K9 Ritter has officially retired from the UW-Madison Police Department, marking the end of an illustrious career that spanned hundreds of deployments and countless campus events.

Ritter joined the UWPD in 2017, forming an inseparable partnership with Officer Justin Zurbuchen. Together, the duo specialized in explosives detection and human tracking, becoming an integral part of campus security operations.

Throughout his tenure, Ritter participated in an impressive 327 deployments, responding to various security needs across the campus and surrounding community. His presence became a familiar sight at special events, and he maintained a perfect attendance record at Wisconsin Badgers football home games, helping ensure the safety of thousands of fans each season.

As Ritter transitions from active duty to retirement, he will continue to live with the Zurbuchen family, trading his days of security sweeps and tracking operations for a more relaxed lifestyle. The UWPD expressed gratitude for Ritter's "unwavering dedication, hard work, and loyal service" in their retirement announcement.

While the campus community will miss seeing Ritter on patrol, his legacy of service and the countless contributions to campus safety will long be remembered by students, faculty and staff at UW-Madison.