Congratulations K9 Bella on your retirement!

Today, February 11th we congratulate K9 Bella on her retirement after almost 10 years of dedicated service to the citizens of Abington Township.

Bella began her career in September 2012 with her partner then Ofc. Jennifer Doyle. Since graduating from the New Jersey State Police for Patrol and Explosive Detection School, K-9 Bella and now Sgt. Doyle have completed hundreds of calls for service including tracks for suspects and missing persons, explosive detection sweeps, article searches, and building searches in order to protect the public and our fellow officers.

K-9 Bella and Sgt. Doyle also have conducted hundreds of public demonstrations throughout Abington Township and Montgomery County.  They have participated in the Citizen’s Police Academy, and have conducted the Township’s Dog Walk and Watch Program since 2015.  They have had the pleasure of representing the Department at many events and meeting thousands of people in the process.

Career highlights:

In 2015, then State Representative Madeline Dean presented K-9 Bella and Sgt. Doyle with a Pennsylvania State Citation for their dedication to excellence in policing and K-9 utilization.

From 2015 to 2019, K-9 Bella and Sgt. Doyle competed at annual United States Police Canine Association Region 6 Patrol Certifications and Competitions.

They have earned the following patrol K-9 team awards:

• 2015 – 2^nd place overall individual K-9 team, 2^nd place in agility, 3^rd place in obedience, 3^rd place in evidence detection, 1^st place team trophy shared with the Bensalem Police K-9 Unit.
• 2016 – 2^nd place overall individual K-9 team, 2^nd place in agility, and 2^nd place team trophy shared with the Bensalem Police K-9 Unit.
• 2017 – 1^st place overall individual K-9 team, 1^st place in obedience, 1^st place in criminal apprehension, 3^rd place in agility, and 1^st place team trophy shared with the Bensalem Police K-9 Unit.
• 2018 – 1^st place overall individual K-9 team, 1^st place in criminal apprehension, 2^nd place in evidence detection, and 1^st place team trophy shared with the Bensalem Police K-9 Unit.
• 2019 – 2^nd place overall individual K-9 team, 1^st place in criminal apprehension, 1^st place in obedience, and 1^st place team trophy shared with the Bensalem Police K-9 Unit.

In 2018, K-9 Bella and Sgt. Doyle became the first canine team to represent the Abington Township Police Department at the United States Police Canine Association’s National Patrol and Explosives Certifications.  They are the first Department canine team to earn their national certification in patrol and explosive detection, placing in the top 25 teams in the patrol competition.

In 2015 and 2016, K-9 Bella and Sgt. Doyle completed in Brad Fox Iron Dog Challenge sponsored by the Septa Transit Police Department.  In both competitions, they placed 2^nd overall in their category. 

In 2014 and 2018, K-9 Bella and Sgt. Doyle became the first Abington Township K-9 team to certify in explosives detection through the prestigious ATF’s (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) National Odor Recognition Test. 

In 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 K-9 Bella and Sgt. Doyle earned their explosives detection certification through the United States Police Canine Association Region 6. 

In August of 2021, K-9 Bella was promoted to the rank of Sergeant at the National Night Out, recognizing her achievements and years of dedicated service to the citizen of Abington Township.  K-9 Bella is the only canine in the history of the Department to be promoted to the rank of Sergeant.

K-9 Bella has enjoyed a renowned and admired career with the Abington Township Police Department, instilling a sense of pride and good will for the Department and Abington Township everywhere she went. K-9 Bella currently maintains a department Facebook page, “APD K9 Bella”, with over 1,500 followers. K-9 Bella will remain with her human partner, Sgt. Doyle, enjoying hours of playing fetch, belly rubs, and lots of treats. Congratulations again!