K-9 units make connections

LIMA — Law enforcement K-9s are known for apprehensions and drug searches, but K-9s also play an important role in connecting agencies to the communities they serve and connecting agencies to each other.

More agencies are realizing the benefits of adding a therapy dog to the K-9 team for law enforcement and victims. The Lima Police Department stated with its first therapy dog, Myla, a 2-year-old red American golden retriever, on May 17.

Despite differences in resources for each K-9 unit, it comes down to the bond each handler has with their K-9 partners and the passion they have for their jobs that makes the unit an asset to each agency.

“Our K-9s are not just dogs to us handlers; they are a part of our family as well. They live with us, a lot of times will go on family vacations with us, and go where we go,” according to an email from Lima’s K-9 team. “We spend so much time with them that they are more than just our partners; they become our best friends and enjoy going to work with us every day.”

Lima’s newest officer

Myla and her handler, Lima Police Sgt. Brittney Osting, went through a six-week training course at Von der Haus Gill German Shepherds in Wapakoneta for obedience and socialization. Myla is also narcotic and article search certified and has already been requested on traffic stops for narcotics detection, Osting said. Myla’s additional training includes training with the other members of the K-9 team every two weeks for eight hours.

Myla was the first therapy dog trained by Von der Haus Gill since it started in 1992, according to owner Matt Gill, who recently took over the business with his wife, Amy, when his father, Al, retired. The first K-9 class to graduate in May under its new management included Osting and Myla, Lima Police K-9 Officer Justin Wireman and K-9 Axe, and Lima Police K-9 Officer Sgt. Stephen Torres and K-9 Nado. Gill said Von der Haus Gill has trained all of Lima’s K-9s over the last 20 years, including the K-9s in Lima City Schools.

Gill said Nado was born at Von der Haus Gill, donated to Lima Police, and raised by Torres.

Myla was purchased through a therapy dog grant approved by Lima council. Most of the K-9 budget is city-funded.

“She was picked by Chief (Angel) Cortes and the owners of Von der Haus Gill because as a department we wanted to go with a breed that was a little calmer than what our other police K-9 dogs are,” according to an email from the Lima K-9 team. “Golden retrievers are more gentle, attentive, great with children and (especially Myla who is smaller than most goldens) their size allows children to come up and be eye level with them and help them not feel overpowered or scared of a big dog like our other K-9s are.”

Gill added, “LPD wanted her type of breed specifically, so we found a breeder, met with them and found Myla to be the best fit. Goldens and labradors are probably the best (breed) because of their drive for human interaction and wanting to always please.”

Gill said he’s seen an uptick in law enforcement agencies getting therapy dogs, especially in larger departments.

“We believe they help strengthen the relationships between the community and law enforcement,” Gill said.

Osting added, “We have come across cases involving young children and victims who are scared to testify or scared to talk to our officers about what happens. In these cases, Myla will come in and just be a sense of security for them, help them get through and talk about the hardship they encountered. Many people find comfort in petting dogs, and Myla loves the belly rubs!”

K-9s not only put victims at ease, but they provide comfort for officers experiencing tough times.

“Therapy dogs are great at providing emotional support and just helping to advance the physical and social well-being of others,” according to the email from the Lima K-9 team. “We looked into many other departments in Ohio that have therapy dogs and the overall officer morale went up significantly after getting a therapy dog.”

Putnam County’s dogs

Putnam County Sheriff Brian Siefker said he agreed therapy dogs were beneficial, and he would consider getting a therapy dog in the future.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office’s K-9 unit started in 2016 under former interim Sheriff Tim Meyer, who helped get donations for two K-9s. Siefker is working with a firefighter who trained a dog to help track missing people, such as special needs children and dementia patients. The sheriff’s office is the only agency in Putnam County with K-9s.

“It costs about $12,000 to $14,000 to start out with a good dog with its training, equipment and other items associated with the K-9 dog,” Siefker said. “Then you have the additional expense of outfitting a vehicle for the K-9, including special fans and alarms, automatic door openers and the cost of having a cage and other equipment at the deputies’ residence to care for the K-9.”

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office continues to receive donations to supply its K-9 unit with dog food and pay a line item for the dogs.

Wapakoneta’s team

Wapakoneta Police Department’s K-9 unit is similar to Lima’s in that Wapakoneta’s K-9 goes on more than 100 deployments per year, and its K-9 is not trained to detect marijuana. The unit has fewer resources than Lima’s. Lt. Joe Welker and his current K-9 Fox — a 6-year-old German shepherd — are the only members of the unit.

Welker said he did a fundraiser through Wapakoneta Middle School that helped pay for half of the cost of Fox four years ago. The department has also received donations over the years. He uses Facebook to connect with other K-9 handlers, get advice on what equipment to purchase and get borrowed equipment from other agencies, including through the Southwest Regional K-9 Training Group, which includes agencies in Logan and Shelby counties.

Welker said they get funds through fundraisers, so if a handler participates in fundraisers, then a lot of the training the group organizes is free. With this group, Welker has been to multiple K-9 First Aid classes; trained with someone from Germany and went to the Blue Line K-9 Training Conference.

“I like it because we have trainers. It’s not handlers getting together, like there’s trainers there and we’re training with troubleshooting and increasing our operational capabilities,” Welker said. “A lot of these handlers don’t have the understanding of how to keep going in the right direction, so it’s nice that we have these people in our group, and we have trainers in our group. It takes some of the learning curve out of it.”

Growing need for dogs

With the three recent graduates, Lima’s K-9 unit has six K-9s now, matching the highest total in the force’s history. Lima’s K-9 team said it would like to keep six dogs so there is always one available, especially due to the increase in fentanyl incidents and more violent crime. Lima’s K-9s also help the Ohio State Highway Patrol frequently and the Allen County Sheriff’s Office.

Each Lima K-9 is likely to participate in more than 100 assignments per year. Those assignments include narcotics sniffs; tracking suspects, lost children and elderly adults; building searches and apprehending armed and dangerous suspects.

One of a K-9’s duties is to find drugs, but Lima’s K-9s are not trained to find marijuana because it was known for a while that marijuana laws were likely to change.

“The marijuana laws are so complex though that a lot of people do not realize. The only way a person can possess it is to have it in a certain package, and it can only be a very small amount,” Osting said. “Our dogs do not alert to the smell, but if an officer smells it they can still search the vehicle.”

Siefker added, “Our K-9 units have alerted to marijuana, but the deputy uses good discretion on how the marijuana is being transported, packaged or how it is being used. Our office has not retired any K-9 dogs due to marijuana being legal,” Siefker said.

Unique challenges

It can be difficult helping others understand what that K-9’s indicating, though.

“The hard part about being a K-9 handler is you’re the only one that understands in your agency. Some of these agency heads don’t understand sometimes,” Welker said.

One example he gave is agencies telling K-9 handlers they don’t need extra training because they just got out of K-9 school.

“A lot of these places want to say they have a K-9 program, but they don’t want to invest the time,” he said.

As an example Welker works dog bones and food into training, so when Fox encounters the items on a search, it won’t distract him. Welker also doesn’t use the same location to train all the time.

He’s also learned to do things differently since he became the K-9 handler in 2011. He does more deployments with Fox on a leash now due to environmental factors he can’t control.

During the first year Welker had Fox, Welker wouldn’t let anyone touch Fox because he didn’t know how Fox would react.

“There’s a lot of liability in what we do, especially with societal pressures right now,” Welker said. “You just have to watch it because these dogs have been trained to defend themselves, and if they’re unsure, they’re not going to run. They’re taught to stand their ground.”

Welker said a handler has to keep his emotions in check around his K-9 because the K-9 can sense how the handler is feeling, and Siefker agreed.

“It takes a special law enforcement officer to be a K-9 unit handler. Nnot everyone is cut out to be a handler, their communication and how they communicate runs down that leash and affects how their K-9 is trained,” Siefker said. “Being a K-9 handler is hard work. It takes a lot of hours documenting and training and maintaining these K-9s.”