He may be the newest officer on Washington Township’s police force, but it’s unlikely this rookie will be sent on a coffee run anytime soon.

Lync, the township’s newest K-9 officer and his partner Officer Kris Hice graduated from the John “Sonny” Burke Police K-9 Academy in Atlantic County last Friday after 16 weeks of hands-on training.

And while they’ve only been working together for five months, Hice said as he starts hitting the streets with his new partner, he has no doubt the rookie has his back.

“No matter where I go, I have back-up,” Hice said as Lync switched between playfully jumping against his chest and keeping watch on the goings on at the police station’s parking lot on Friday afternoon. “He doesn’t ask questions, doesn’t say ‘Why are we doing this?’ He’s 100 percent ready to go.”

The 2-year-old German Shepherd isn’t just the newest member of the police department, he’s also the newest member of Hice’s family.

“He’s adjusted to the family quickly —my kids and my two other dogs,” said Hice, a big “Rocky” fan who named Lync after one of the fictitious boxer’s turtles. “He’s like a regular house dog, but when it’s time for work, it’s time for work.”

Hice, an 11-year veteran of the department, said he’s always loved dogs and partnering with a K-9 is something he’s always wanted to do.

“The [K-9 handlers] here love what they do, and I wanted to try and do it,” he said.

Lt. Pat Gurcsik, who oversees the township’s K-9 program, said it was Hice’s “exemplary record” and time serving the department that made him the perfect candidate to become a K-9 handler, beating out five or six other officers who applied for the position. During his weeks and weeks of training, Lync and Hice worked mostly on obedience and tracking skills, and Hice said his new partner’s ability to track scents from 700 yards away, persistence in finding access to blocked targets and 100 percent accuracy blew him away.

Ptl. Kris Hice and his new K-9 partner, Lync, of the Washington Township Police Department, Friday, May 10, 2013. (Staff Photo by Brad Kingett/South Jersey Times)

“He’s pretty smart, and as great as it is, it’s only going to get better,” Hice said.

The cost of the nearly $7,000 price tag for Lync was donated by local resident and business owner Harry Vankawala afterCpl. Mike Conti’s K-9 partner Bach had to be put to sleep in January after battling cancer.

It’s the fourth dog the 30-plus year resident has donated to the department’s K-9 program, which is not included in the department’s budget and relies entirely on outside funding, since 1989.

“I loved the K9 unit from the beginning,” said Vankawala, who was honored at the academy graduation for his dedication to the department. “It is the safety of the community and the safety of the police officer also. It’s two things.”

Hice couldn’t agree more.

“Once people know there’s a dog here, it’s the most evening force,” he said. “It changes the game, people listen more, stop being unruly.”

That’s one of the reasons the K-9 unit is crucial for the department, said Gurcsik.

“Our K-9s are awfully busy. They’re always busy answering calls here in town and backing officers up,” Gurcsik said. “There’s one K-9 assigned to each platoon, so there’s a K-9 on duty 24 hours a day.”

A four-run kennel to house the dogs is currently in the works, after a successfulfundraising social in March raised more than $15,000 of the roughly $20,000 cost of the kennel. He said local trade unions have already volunteered to do much of the construction of the kennel, which will have air conditioning and heat, at no cost. Gurcsik said it’s important to have a place where officers who are on vacation or tied up in the station can house their partners and know they’re safe.

Currently, a dog whose handler is on vacation is housed at a kennel in a public works facility in Deptford. With blue prints currently being drawn up, Gurcsik said they’re aiming for a July start date on the construction of the kennel. It’s important to keep the dogs separate, he said, since they can be aggressive toward other K-9 officers.

Lync, who is currently trained to track scents of suspects, artifacts, missing children or any individual police need to locate, and Hice will be going back to the academy for a 12-week training course in narcotics detection in September.

In the meantime, Hice said the connection they’ve built will only improve as they work together patrolling the township.

“The bond grows stronger and stronger as I get to know him better, and he gets to know me,” he said.

http://www.nj.com/washington-township-times/index.ssf/2013/05/dog_days_washington_townships.html

A man who police said stole a Henryetta police car with the K-9 officer inside is now behind bars.

FOX23’s Sharon Phillips learned the suspect may have been high on methamphetamine.

Endy is the Henryetta police department’s only K-9 officer. Officers told FOX23 Endy barked like crazy to try to stop the man from stealing the patrol car he was in.

Shortly after 7 a.m. Friday, officers received a call about a man trespassing at a trailer park. When they arrived, they say they found a disheveled-looking William Brooks.

“After speaking with him, they believed he was under the influence of possibly methamphetamine, and they arrested him for public intoxication at that time,” said Police Chief Steve Norman.

The officer handcuffed him and put him in the front seat of his police car, because Endy was in the dog cage in the back.

Police said Brooks was able to get his handcuffed hands from the back to the front by slipping his legs. between his arms.

Brooks took off in the police car, with Endy going crazy in the back seat. The dog couldn’t get to him because of the barrier dividing the front from the back.

“It’s a very desperate measure for somebody. However he appeared to be high on methamphetamine and those people do desperate things,” said Norman.

The OHP called in its hound team and quickly tracked Brooks to a nearby field. He had abandoned the police car and left Endy in the back seat. The beloved dog was later reunited with his handler.

“He’s an officer and we see him as an officer and a partner, and I can tell you that we are so very fortunate that nothing happened to Endy,” said Norman.

Brooks will be charged with motor vehicle theft, drug possession, and a host of other charges.

http://www.fox23.com/news/local/story/Man-arrested-after-allegedly-stealing-Henryetta/RveNU_biyEi0SZd0bvuiCw.cspx

​

Westbrook officer, K-9 credited with saving life of woman who attempted suicide

DUE TO SEVERE FLOODING IN THE AREA, THE CLAY SHOOT HAS BEEN CANCELED. MAKE UP DATE WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY. ​SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE!

Boston Marathon Bombing Victims Offered Free Service Dogs Through Nonprofit NEADS/Dogs For Deaf And Disabled Americans

PRINCETON, Mass., May 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — NEADS/Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans announced this week that victims of the Boston marathon bombing who have sustained a physical disability are being offered assistance dogs through the creation of a new fund. NEADS is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization that places assistance dogs nationwide.

The funds raised will be restricted to cover the costs involved with supplying assistance dogs to the victims of the Boston marathon bombings should they decide, in the future, that an assistance dog will bring them renewed independence and connection. “For many years now, our office has partnered with NEADS by hosting young service dogs in training,” said Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley. “We are grateful to those donors who have agreed to fund service dogs for victims of the marathon bombings and look forward to working with NEADS to identify appropriate homes for these incredible animals.”

NEADS is working in collaboration with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Victim Assistance Program and the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance to distribute information and identify potential recipients of assistance dogs. Going forward, the fund will be opened to include all victims of violent crime in Massachusetts who have sustained a physical disability and who feel that they would benefit from an assistance dog.

Gerry DeRoche, Chief Executive Officer of NEADS said, “The value and impact that our service dogs provide to those in need is immeasurable. We are happy to offer our help, and hope that by establishing this fund, marathon bombing victims receive the independence, comfort and companionship our dogs provide.”

The Boston Duck Tours (BDT) has come on board as a lead donor to this fund. In addition, a BDT staff-wide contest is being held to name the fund, which will be announced on May 14.

For more information or to make a donation, please visit www.neads.org.

NEADS/Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans is a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization that provides life-changing independence, companionship and connection to people with a disability. NEADS carefully matches clients with the right dog and provides ongoing support during their entire relationship. NEADS has led the industry since 1976, matching over 1,400 expertly trained assistance dogs with people who need them.

SOURCE NEADS/Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans

/CONTACT: Cathy Zemaitis, NEADS/Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans, 978-422-9064 ext 36, czemaitis@neads.org, www.neads.org

/Web site: http://www.neads.org

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130508-915047.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

When you think of working dogs, images of big Golden Retrievers or tall German Shepherds probably come to mind. But just because Lucy the Yorkshire Terrier is a mere 2.5 pounds and less than 6 inches tall doesn’t mean she can’t be part of the canine working class. In fact, Lucy is making her mark, not just as a hardworking therapy dog, but also as the world’s smallest working dog, according to Guinness World Records.

http://www.pawnation.com/2013/05/06/yorkie-sets-record-for-smallest-working-dog/

WORCESTER – Police cars lined the parking lot at Shore Park and the sounds of dogs barking could be heard from the street Tuesday as state police trained a few K-9 units from as far way as Gloucester and New York to find narcotics.

Sgt. Jerry Molet, of the Massachusetts State Police, said this program is for dogs making the next step in their training. And Tuesday’s class, part of a nine-week program, was to teach the dogs to dig in the sand on the Shore Park beach to search for narcotics. These are dogs that can already track on the street, but now they’re being given another lesson on how to find narcotics that are hidden from plain sight or buried.

“We use the sand to search for narcotics and shape behavior,” Melot said.

Gloucester K-9 officer Jerry Ciolino and his dog Trident go through the training. Ciolino gives Trident a verbal and physical command to search the sand for a tightly wrapped towel that has the scent of marijuana on it. The dogs will eventually be trained to be able to find cocaine, marijuana, heroin and methamphetamines.

http://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/index.ssf/2013/04/police_k-9_units_get_training.html

K9s4COPs Founder Receives Crime Stoppers Award

K9s4COPs Founder, Kristi K Schiller, receives the Leon Goldstein Award at the Crime Stoppers Luncheon.

K9s4COPs Founder Kristi K Schiller with Houston Police Department & Harris County Sheriff’s Office K9s Officers at the Crime Stoppers Luncheon.For more information, please contact K9s4COPs Communications Director Jenna Jackson at jenna@K9s4COPs.org.

May 02, 2013

RUTLAND, VT – Earlier this year students in Rosalie Fox’s Introduction to Sociology course at the Community College of Vermont’s Rutland academic center partnered with the Vermont Police Canine Association on a service learning project to raise funds for the purchase of protective vests for Vermont police dogs. Students will present Bob Ryan, treasurer of the Vermont Police Canine Association, with a check for the money raised to date at 10:00 A.M. on May 2, in a ceremony being held at CCV Rutland. Donations will continue to be accepted until Memorial Day.

Over the course of the month-long In”vest” in K9’s Best project, students from two additional CCV Rutland classes – Fox’s Dimensions of Freedom course, and Duane Tompkins’s Introduction to Criminology class — became involved in the initiative. Fundraising events such as a benefit breakfast hosted by Genesis healthcare, a raffle for a donated, dog-print quilt, and significant contributions from community businesses such as Rutland Regional Medical Center and Wagatha’s Organic Dog Biscuits helped propel total donations to an amount exceeding that of the cost of a single canine vest, typically averaging around $1,200.

According to Fox, the money raised will be used to purchase a vest for a Vermont K9. Excess funds, Fox said, have been earmarked for the purchase of a new canine for Rutland City or training for the city’s current K9s.

Attending the event on Thursday will be CCV students, instructors and senior-level administrators, Rutland Mayor Chris Louras, and representatives from Rutland City Police, Vermont Police Canine Association, Genesis Healthcare, and other community supporters of the project.

CCV Rutland students collect over $2,000 for K9 vest initiative

EDMOND, Okla. — Police are investigating the possibility that a faulty vehicle air conditioner caused the death of a beloved Edmond K-9 officer.

“It is with great sadness that we must report the death of one of our beloved K-9 dogs, Justice,” said Edmond Police Department spokeswoman Jenny Monroe.

Monday afternoon, Justice’s handler found him lethargic in the back of the handler’s squad car, Monroe said. He was rushed to the vet where he later died, Monroe said.

It appears Justice overheated, Monroe said.

Officers were inspecting the vehicle’s air conditioner unit to help determine what contributed to the cause of his death, Monroe said. The vehicle was running with the AC left on during the time Justice was in the vehicle.

Justice was primarily used as a single purpose, non-aggressive dog within the Edmond Public Schools to detect illegal narcotics, Monroe said.

In September 2010, The Edmond Sun reported the story of how Justice came to the Edmond Police Department from the city’s Animal Welfare Center. He was a stray black Labrador brought into the shelter. A police officer told Edmond Animal Welfare Officer Michael Reynolds the Police Department was looking for a suitable dog for its K-9 division.

One day, Reynolds was in the shelter, looking among the dogs for a candidate, a dog possessing a lot of energy and drive. He came to a group of three labs. One of them, the black Labrador, was different.

“There was just something about him, his actions,” Reynolds said. “He acted like he was bored and wanted to go out and play.”

Reynolds gave Edmond’s K-9 division a call and the dog, who would be named Justice, began a new life, a journey toward becoming a police dog. Justice was paired with School Resource Officer Dack Pearson, who said man and dog went through an initial pre-training bonding period that included a lot of playtime.

Justice was certified by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics to find marijuana, cocaine, meth and heroin. Several times due to his ability to find drugs Justice made headlines.​

http://www.officer.com/news/10932518/oklahoma-police-k-9-found-dead-inside-cruiser