Inside the magic of the K-9/handler team
Because of my utter failure in training an obstinate dachshund, I have been dazzled by police K-9s that obey — perfectly — for a living. They can discern hundreds of different scents, and can stop riots and crimes by merely arriving on a scene. They can find lost people and criminal perpetrators in response to a silent gesture from their handler. K-9s can restrain the arm of a fleeing suspect with a carefully placed grip, then go home to curl up for a nap with their handler’s children. Some police K-9s are high-performance athletes; others are experts in chemistry. Their magnificent snouts let them sniff out bombs, cellphones and narcotics. They can analyze human behavior like a psychologist and perform heroic acts as they go into harm’s way; and sometimes the dogs are injured or die in the line of duty.
In 2013 I embarked on writing a book about police K-9s. My interviews and research introduced me to a universe of committed professionals who have remarkable relationships with their K-9 partners. One Plymouth County sheriff’s deputy I spent time with said of his K-9 partner, “Dog’s so smart all he needed from me was a ride.”
A retired Barnstable County sheriff’s deputy illustrated the value of K-9 units by relating one of his experiences. In 1995, inmates at the old Barnstable County jail rioted; they lit fires, built barricades and smashed jail windows. This sheriff’s deputy and his dog, K-9 Rocco, got the call to go to work that day. The prisoners had been ordered to return to their cells, but had declined. Until Rocco arrived. The deputy walked through several jail wings, with Rocco straining on his leash barking exuberantly at the prospect of going to work, as the deputy yelled, “In your cells, on your knees with your hands up.” The deputy and K-9 Rocco left kneeling prisoners in their wake. The riot was quelled by K-9 Rocco’s presence.
Plymouth County Sheriff Joseph McDonald permitted me to spend time with the Plymouth County K-9 training unit. I observed K-9 handlers, including some from Barnstable County, practicing carefully orchestrated teamwork with their four-legged partners. While many of the trainee-dogs were bred specifically for police work, others were, surprisingly, rescue animals from Massachusetts animal shelters that had been given a second chance by serving their communities. This innovative use of shelter dogs was a focus of the PBS television series “Shelter Me.”
Produced by Springfield native Steven Latham, the series celebrated shelter pets in an effort to raise awareness and encourage adoption. Latham’s episode on rescued dogs serving as K-9 officers included footage from a day of filming I attended in Bridgewater. One of the K-9 officers included in the episode was Yarmouth’s Sean Gannon. During filming, Sgt. Gannon introduced Thor, a narcotics detection K-9 who had been rescued from the Plymouth Animal Shelter.
Our community’s powerful sense of loss at the killing of Sgt. Gannon, and the wounding of his partner, K-9 Nero, highlights the vital and much-appreciated role K-9 teams — and all law enforcement personnel — play in Cape Cod towns. Day in and day out, our police officers protect and serve, and at times put themselves at risk in service to a greater good. I admit bias. Three members of my family either serve now or have served in the past in law enforcement.
With regret, I set aside my work on the K-9 book to enter law school. But I have carried with me a gratitude that I had a chance to glimpse inside that remarkable world. And I carry much greater gratitude, and respect, for our police K-9 teams. I wish those who have served Barnstable County — and those who continue to do so — to know how much their community values their service.
— Mary Chaffee lives in Brewster. PBS’s “Shelter Me” Episode 5, featuring local police K-9s and their handlers, can be viewed at https://shelterme.tv/episodes/episode-5.
Published at Tue, 08 May 2018 07:18:45 +0000
Brought to you by My Cute Dachshund by scouring the Internet for Dachshund Information and News..
Leave a Reply