Coryell County sheriff’s office celebrates K9 Kraken’s retirement, deputy promotion

K9 Kraken retired after nine years with the Coryell County Sheriff’s Office, and Deputy David Ashley was promoted during the same celebration in Coryell County, Texas. The milestone marked a formal change for one of the county’s most visible public-safety teams, with the dog’s service ending and his handler staying on in a new role.

The retirement was handled through Coryell County Commissioners Court, which accepted Kraken’s retirement and awarded ownership of the dog to Deputy David Ashley. That step gave the transition an official county record, rather than treating the end of Kraken’s service as a purely ceremonial goodbye.

Commissioners also approved ownership and authorization agreements for K-9 Kenji and therapy K-9 Honey. That matters because it shows the sheriff’s office is not winding down its canine work after Kraken’s retirement. The program still includes multiple dogs serving different purposes, from a working K-9 to a therapy dog.

For Coryell County residents, the main takeaway is continuity. Kraken’s retirement removes a veteran from the lineup, but the county’s action on Kenji and Honey shows the department kept the rest of its K-9 structure in place. That helps preserve specialized response and support functions that extend beyond routine patrol work, especially when a dog is needed for a specific assignment or public-facing service.

The promotion for Deputy Ashley also fits that continuity. By recognizing a handler promotion at the same time it honored Kraken’s nine years of service, the sheriff’s office kept the human side of the K-9 unit intact while moving the department forward. The change leaves the county with a formal transition in place, not a gap in the program.