Related Articles
In July 2018, Juma and Constable Kelly Smith became partners and best friends when she was donated to Wood County by K9 Officers (www.K9officers.org). K9 officers, a non-profit organization was formed by Rocky and Shannon Smith to provide police K9s, handler training and equipment to law enforcement agencies. They probably had no idea the impact they would make on the entirety of Wood County when they gave such a gift. Juma was trained when she was donated, but the pair also did five week of basic training in narcotics detection and an additional three weeks to add tracking to her list of skills at Houston K9 Academy (www.houstonk9academy.com). Smith and Juma attended many seminars, conferences and competitions, and trained weekly with a group of East Texas K9 units. After only being together for one year, Juma placed 34 out of 150 at the National K9 Competition in Fort Worth. She was featured in nationwide magazines and was known throughout the world for her work as a K9 officer. The longer they were together, the more bonded Juma and Smith became. In the time they served together, Juma led to the seizure of several thousands of dollars of stolen items and vehicles, the capture of drug manufacturers and distributors in Wood County, and led the way on several manhunts. She was a force to be reckoned with while working, but when she wasn’t working, she was everyone’s friend. She loved visiting with the citizens she protected, especially children. She was a public relations genius and captured the attention of everyone in the room as she walked in. She always had the biggest smile as she posed for pictures with her fans.In July 2020, after experiencing a health crisis that led to a diagnosis of Addison’s Disease, Juma had to be decommissioned. On September 22, almost exactly two years after becoming Wood County’s favorite K9 Officer, Juma retired from service. She stayed in the home of her handler, Kelly Smith, and his family where she was loved and treated like a queen. K9 Juma has been a law enforcement staple in East Texas and on Thursday, she’ll take her final ride. According to Wood County Constable Kelly Smith, Juma developed Addison’s disease which caused frequent vomiting and diarrhea that led to dehydration and significant weight loss.”She has stopped eating and will only eat if we force feed her, which she vomits back up,” Constable Smith said in a Facebook post. “A low aldosterone level has caused her kidneys to fail to conserve sodium or excrete potassium, and she has become severely dehydrated. During this Addisonian crisis, low blood pressure, low blood sugar and high levels of potassium have become life-threatening.” Juma will participate in her last call Thursday beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the Wood County Courthouse. From there, she will travel to the Lindale Veterinary Clinic. Juma was being kept comfortable by Smith and his wife, who is a veterinarian.
