Canine officers, dogs form a unique bond
NEW BEDFORD — Police Officer Dean Lawrence pressed a button and 60 pounds of canine power exploded out the back door of his patrol car. The muscles of the German shepherd dog’s legs visibly flexed and contracted as he tore up the grass in a race to the target — Officer Gary Beaudoin’s padded arm.
Four feet away from the officer, the dog went airborne and landed an alligator chomp on Beaudoin’s limb.
“Dago won’t let go. He has been trained to hold on until the officer gives the command to stop,” said Sgt. Jill Simmons, commanding officer of the Port Security Team K-9 Division.
Imported from a breeder in the Czech Republic, Dago (pronounced DAH-go) is a graduate of the Boston Police K-9 Academy and has been extensively trained in suspect apprehension, tracking, area search, SWAT team, obedience, agility and narcotics location.
Dago comes from carefully planned bloodlines, and like many other police and military dogs in the U.S. is the pride of the Czech Republic.
“We are very proud that Czech-bred German shepherds contribute greatly to U.S. law enforcement units and thus to the general safety of U.S. general public,” said Vaclav Vochoska, press and trade officer for the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Washington, D.C.
Lawrence, Dago’s handler, is responsible for daily training and making sure the two of them pass annual certification that requires the handler to have virtually flawless control over the dog.
Dago retrieves a gun, carrying it back to his handler.
During a recent training session at New Bedford Regional Airport, Beaudoin swung around with Dago attached to his arm.
At Lawrence’s command, the dog immediately let go and dropped to the ground.
He then gave Dago the padded sleeve. Eyes still filled with fiery intent, the dog breathed heavily and strutted around with a mouth full of the “arm” he detached.
“Dogs that go through Boston K-9 are trained to bite and hold, rather than bark and hold like with some other places. Dago will stay on until I call him off,” Lawrence said, adding that the dog will go after arms or legs rather than other body parts to minimize injury.
A quick word in German — the language in which police dogs are traditionally trained — and Dago obediently gave up the sleeve and sat by his master’s side to patiently await the next command, which could be anything from fetching his favorite toy to going straight into a gunfight.
The pair have a strong bond and have been credited with a number of arrests in the area.
Despite Dago’s skill in using his teeth to encourage a suspect’s cooperation, Lawrence said that a bite is used as a last resort.
Simmons recounted a situation in which, despite repeated warnings by Lawrence and Dago’s patented “I-eat-criminals-for-breakfast” bark, a pair of suspects in a cemetery stubbornly refused to surrender. Lawrence then gave the command to apprehend, but just as Dago was about to close in the individuals reconsidered. Seeing what was happening and that they were juveniles, she said, Lawrence was able to call Dago back seconds before a bite.
Aside from apprehension, Dago has been used to find narcotics and easily demonstrated his ability to retrieve a gun for Lawrence.
For evidence recovery and the ultimate in canine olfactory detective work, however, the New Bedford Police Department turns to Xtra, a black Labrador retriever, and handler Beaudoin.
Xtra is one of only six ATF-certified dogs in the state and has been trained to sniff out drugs, firearms, fireworks and explosives.
According to Beaudoin, Xtra has been responsible for a number of sizable narcotics finds.
In his demonstration at the airport, Xtra wove his way around cars in the parking lot, and in less than 2 minutes located a mock explosive hidden under a reporter’s car.
“He once found a pistol that hadn’t been used since World War II. … He also found a bullet under a refrigerator that had gone through someone’s body. When I brought him to the apartment he went right to the refrigerator. Sure enough, when we moved it we found what we were looking for right along with all the dead bugs and dust,” Beaudoin said.
Xtra comes from a breeder in Connecticut who gave names starting with the letter X to all the dogs in the litter.
“I’m just glad I didn’t end up with a Xylophone. It would have been awkward to call him. … Sometimes police dogs come with really strange names. There is even one called Bimbo,” Beaudoin said.
According to staff at the Czech Republic Embassy, Czech names often come from ancient figures, so Dago might have been named after Dagobert I, a militarily successful king who founded the Basilica of St. Denis in the seventh century.
Xtra can be used to find potentially dangerous items such as explosives or locate evidence while keeping the crime scene intact.
When Beaudoin and Lawrence became canine officers two years ago, they committed to a never-ending shift during which their four-legged partners would live with them and be on call at all times.
According to Simmons, Lawrence and Beaudoin were carefully chosen for the position, not only because of their conduct on the job, but also their home environments.
“We looked at their ability to work without supervision, and we wanted people who just don’t hang back and wait to answer calls. … In both cases, these officers were heads and shoulders above the competition,” Simmons said.
To make sure that Xtra is at the top of his game, Beaudoin trains him four to six hours a day. Xtra functions through a strict food reward system, whereby he has to complete a task properly to receive food. This method, Beaudoin said, requires that the handler train the dog every day and ensure that the animal does not have too much to eat so he will be interested in working if the need arises.
In the home environment, Beaudoin said Xtra is sociable and well-mannered, and gets along with children and adults.
Dago also lives with his handler but is kept in a kennel outside during the day and crated at night.
“I don’t want him to get too used to having the run of the house and making his own decisions,” Lawrence said.
Dago’s training relies on positive reinforcement through petting and verbal praise.
“The type of training has to do with the breed. There is a saying that if you try to get a German shepherd to do something with food, he will ignore it. Try to do the same thing with a Lab and he will eat his food and the shepherd’s,” Simmons said.
Both dogs are 3 years old, eat quality kibble and receive care at Chase Farm Veterinary Hospital in North Dartmouth.
Xtra, who just happens to have an extra-sleek coat and sparkly eyes, is fed organic dog food and treats that Beaudoin purchases at Down to Earth Natural Foods on Kempton Street.
To avoid health problems particular to the breed, Dago was bred small to prevent hip problems, Lawrence said.
And the handlers pay close attention to their dogs’ exercise routines and weight.
Police Chief Ronald E. Teachman was quick to commend Lawrence and Beaudoin for their hard work with the dogs.
“The daily training that these officers do certainly maximizes the dogs’ capabilities. … They are a great asset to the department, and I wish we could expand the use of dogs.”
The K-9 Unit, Teachman said, was recently reduced by two handler-dog teams due to budget cuts.
The handlers went back to street patrol, and the dogs — who have badges and are considered full members of the department — are now on decommissioned status.
Asked about what happens when police dogs can no longer work, Simmons said that many go on to successful careers as therapy dogs, especially if the officer already has a number of retired dogs.
As for these crime-fighting super dogs, however, the officers said that Dago and Xtra will always have a home with them.
At the airport, Beaudoin knelt down to give Xtra a well-deserved belly rub.
“This one is staying with me. I don’t care how many dogs I get after him.”
Falls officer introduces his new four-legged friend
Cuyahoga Falls — A 2-year-old German shepherd named Diesel met Council June 22, marking the return of the city’s K-9 unit which disbanded in 2006 due to staff and budget changes.
The 90-pound police dog was accompanied by Capt. Jack Davis of the department’s patrol division, and David Holzapfel, a Falls police officer for five years and Diesel’s handler.
RPC Photo / Steve Wiandt Cuyahoga Falls Police Officer Dave Holzapfel is pictured with Diesel, the German Shepherd who will serve in the department's re-established K-9 Unit.
Councilmember Mary Ellen Pyke (R-2) said she has been “passionate” about bringing back the K-9 unit and she appreciates the efforts of the administration and police department to make that happen.
Davis said getting Diesel was made possible by Sgt. Perry Tabak, a certified K-9 trainer and former handler for CFPD. Tabak is now a detective in the department’s narcotics unit.
Holzapfel said Diesel is from the Czech Republic imported to Canada. The two have been together for three months, he said.
Diesel was activated June 17. Holzapfel said he hasn’t had to use Diesel yet, but added “he’s ready to go.” Holzapfel was one of eight Falls officers who applied to be Diesel’s handler. Davis said he and Tabak faced a tough decision when they had to pick the dog’s partner. “We had a lot of good candidates,” he said.
Pyke said reinstating the K-9 unit was one of the benefits of the city’s establishing a mayor’s court in January.
Legislation approved by City Council late last year stated part of the revenue from mayor’s court fines would go toward re-establishing the K-9 unit.
“We think Diesel will bring us tremendous success in our battle for apprehending drug offenders,” said Mayor Don Robart. “I think [the K-9 unit is] going to be a core part of our ongoing battle against crime.”
“He’s a great dog,” said Tabak. “A lot of high energy, good drive. He can be social when he needs to be, and then turn it on when he’s working, which is what I look for when I’m selecting a dog. I think he and Dave are going to be a great team.”
Diesel is a special purpose dog trained for narcotics detection and searches for articles such as weapons, he said. In the future, Tabak added, Diesel could be trained as a patrol dog to perform such duties as criminal apprehensions and building searches.
According to Tabak, a police dog from the Czech Republic normally costs up to $6,000 or more, however, he was able to purchase Diesel through someone he knows for only $500.
“The importer pretty much donated the dog, we just covered some of their import expenses,” he said.
“He’s a great dog at a great price,” Tabak said, adding that because he did the training instead of an outsider, the city saved between $15,000 and $20,000.
Pyke said there is a genuine enthusiasm within the police department and community concerning the K-9 unit’s return. She said she can identify with the residents who saw a need in the city for a police dog.
“For someone who lives in the part of the city that I do where we have had meth labs and we have had busts because of narcotics — I think that the public has said, ‘We need the K-9 unit,’” she said. Just seeing the dog, Pyke said, shows the public that the police are serious about their efforts to fight drug crimes.
“That’s a very intimidating-looking dog,” she said, adding that Diesel also has a tender side, made evident when he licked the faces of two curious children outside the Natatorium before the meeting.
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