K-9 officers John Schouten and Gary Pavone both have something in common,
even though they wish they didn't. Both have lost a partner.
After 10 years of working together Sergeant John Schouten's dog developed
a bad hip. Since he couldn't really run, he had to be retired. Meanwhile,
Deputy Gary Pavone's dog had died suddenly from a liver tumor.
Neither police officer could face working with another dog. So, each left
the canine division for some time and went back to regular police work. Today,
they're both back in the canine division.
At the time, Schouten's superior officer gave him a choice: "I could get
a new dog and stay on with canine -- in which case I would have to give my
old dog away -- or I could keep my old dog and go back to being a patrol officer
until he died."
He took the second option. He didn't return to the canine unit until four
years later.
"I hated to give up the job, even for a little while, but I felt I owed
it to my dog for being such a good partner for all those years. He was with
me until he died. Then I went back to canine."
Pavone and his first dog, Max, worked together for six years. Pavone still
remembers how it ended. "He worked a full shift two days before he died. I
had no plans to work another dog. I was talked into it by the sub-station
commander here and the sheriff."
A year later, Pavone received his second dog, Groll (pronounced Kroll).
A strong bond is common to all police-dog teams.
Police dog handler Judith Moore and her dog, Danny, are one of eight canine
teams in her police department.
"[We have an] incredible bond. I see him more than I see my husband," Moore
says with a laugh. But she's not joking. She and Danny work 10-hour shifts,
and Danny comes home with her at the end of the day.
The bond is strong thanks to the time the pair spends together and the
work they do. Basic training for the team was an intensive 160-hour basic
course. And that was only the beginning.
Dogs are pack animals, just like wolves, explains the human half of the
team. "You have to establish that you are the pack leader," she notes. It
also takes six to eight months, or more, to establish a bond with the dog.
A lot goes into creating the best team possible.
Loyalty and trust are two qualities of the utmost importance to any canine
team. Again, this comes thanks to time and training.
"It requires an incredible time commitment by the handler and the whole
family," says Pavone. "The needs of the dog sometimes have to come first.
Groll lives to work. He doesn't settle down until he is in the unit and working
or training. This can be stressful at home. He follows me everywhere to see
if I'm going to work."
Schouten says it's not uncommon for handlers to be loyal to their dogs,
because police dogs are very loyal partners. "They're always glad to see you,
they're never in a bad mood and they wouldn't hesitate to give up their life
for you."
Trust between handler and dog is essential. Dog handlers are generally
sent to "priority-one" situations -- situations where a suspect has escaped
and is avoiding arrest. These are often the most dangerous calls, since the
suspect is usually desperate not to be caught.
"It can be pretty scary. In these cases, the dog has to trust the handler
will be there to back him up, and the handler has to trust the dog's tracking
instincts," says Schouten.
Schouten remembers the moment when he learned to completely trust his new
partner -- the dog he works with now. There had been a break-in at a department
store and the suspect was nowhere to be found. Schouten and his dog were called
to the scene to track him.
"By the time we arrived at the scene, there were patrol officers everywhere.
It was assumed that the suspect was hiding somewhere in the store because
the security guard hadn't seen him leave and all of the exits were blocked
by this point.
"I tried to get my dog to go inside to track, but he kept trying to pull
me outside. Finally, I followed him out to the side of the building. He ran
right through the legs of an officer into the bushes two feet behind him,
and came out of the bushes holding the suspect by the arm."
If it hadn't been for his dog, Schouten says the suspect would have been
able to hide there until the search was called off because everyone was looking
in the wrong place. "I never doubted my dog's tracking instincts again. That
was the point when we really became a team."
Police departments the world over use dogs because the animals can do what
people can't.
Together, an officer-canine team is very efficient, says Moore. And time
efficiency is one of the biggest assets a police dog can add to a department.
Her dog Danny is cross-trained to perform fieldwork and narcotics searches.
And he's very good at it. Moore says Danny can search a 2,200-square-foot
house, if he has access to each room, in less than three minutes!
Dogs also are valuable in spreading a goodwill message. Often these teams
will visit schools and community events.
"When I go into elementary schools with the dog, kids really listen to
what I have to say. The dog and I really enjoy it, and I think the kids go
away from the experience with a better image of police work," says Schouten.
These officers work with their dogs every day and never fail to be impressed
with the animals' talents.
For instance, Pavone's dog, Groll, has proven he has a "good nose" time
and time again.
Pavone recounts this story: He and Groll had been called in to help with
a drug search of a motel room and vehicle. The motel room had already been
hand-searched by police. Some drugs had been found, but they wanted to be
sure they hadn't missed anything.
It didn't take long before Groll alerted Pavone to a cosmetic case on the
bathroom floor. Pavone gave the case to an agent, who said it had already
been examined. Yet when the agent dumped the contents out, he found a package
containing drugs.
"The cosmetic case belonged to another occupant of the motel room who would
have walked if not for the K-9 search," says Pavone.
Pavone really appreciates his dog. "Groll can locate people inside buildings
or outside. He can follow tracks of fleeing criminals. He can locate discarded
evidence along a trail. He is great at protecting me and a welcome sight at
fights and disturbances. His presence is enough to calm most rational people
down. He can locate the odors of marijuana, cocaine, hashish, methamphetamine,
opium and heroin."
Now that's a partner!
In spite of the danger of the job and the stress involved in dealing with
crime on a daily basis -- in spite of uniforms covered in dog hair -- K-9
officers say they've got the best jobs in the world.
Schouten sums it up this way: "There are those moments when you get this
incredible rush, when you realize you really are making a difference. And,
of course, I have the best partner in the world."