First off, I’m sending out a Big High Paw to all those fellow pooches serving alongside human partners in law enforcement, steppin’ up an puttin’ themselves between us an Bad Guys: Pooches like this week’s innerviewee. I was Super Crispy Dog Biscuits Excited headin’ to the Sebastian Pleece Department to meet Officer Odie Cole (Ret.), a Belgian Malinois.
We parked behind the Pleece Department under a tree. Preddy soon Odie an his partner drove up in their Special K-9 vee-hickle. Odie is an impressive, squared-away pooch, short, reddish-brown coat, excellent POSS-chur. His partner was in uniform but Odie wasn’t, having recently retired.
I stood as straight as I could and tried to not look too excited, as Odie came over for the Wag-an-Sniff.
“Hey there, Bonz! ’Sup? I’m Officer Odie Cole. Ackshully not ‘Officer’ anymore. Just call me Odie. I only just retired in July, an I’m still gettin’ used to it. This is my Dad (an partner) Officer Roy Cole. My Mom Nicole’s workin.’”
“It’s a great pleasure to meet you, Odie,” I said earnestly, feelin’ more relaxed. “Thank you for your service! I’m eager to hear your story, so just go ahead whenever you’re ready.”
Odie sat up arrow-straight, an began. “I was born in the Czech Republic, and raised from puppyhood to be a K-9. Not all of us qualify, though, cuz the training’s hard, an you gotta have all the right stuff.”
“Like what stuff?”
“You gotta be smart, healthy, strong, fearless. You gotta be able to concentrate and not get scared or distracted by ANYthing. An you totally gotta be alert an obey your partner every single second no matter what.”
“Woof!”
“Dad needed a new partner cuz his previous partner, Yoda, retired for health reasons. Pleece departments over here mostly get dogs from YOUR-up, cuz they have the toughest standards. Anyway, I got picked, an flew over to begin my law enforcement career. I was 14 months old, an still a ‘green dog,’ so Dad continued my training till I was ready to stand beside him as his partner, an official SPD K-9 officer. It was a proud moment. My training took about 6 months, then there’s continuing education an evaluations. Dad says I do great cuz I’m ‘a pleaser,’ an it’s true. I ALWAYS wanna make Dad happy. When I’m workin’, he calls me a high-strung ball of fire, always givin’ 150 percent. Fact is, Bonz, us K-9s consider our police work fun, cuz we learn by praise an rewards. Since we’re from Europe, we learn commands in different languages (I learned in Czech), an over here our partners mostly keep using those commands.”
“Makes sense. So, how many other K-9 s are with the SPD?”
“Well, there was us; then Cpl. Reno an K-9 Officer Revis; Officer Irwin an K-9 Officer Suma; an Officer Smith an K-9 Officer Ghost. We’re called Dual-Purpose Dogs cuz we can do patrol an NARC detection. About 10 of us K-9 teams, from Sebastian, Vero Beach and the Sheriff’s Department, get together every Wednesday to practice our skills, so we can work with each other when the need arises. It sometimes gets a liddle intense cuz we’re all Alphas with big egos, but we work around it. Teamwork. That’s what it’s all about.”
“You must have lotsa stories!”
“I’ve brought down some perps, fer sure, but I gotta be diss-CREET. One time we got a call about a Bad Guy who was STALKING, an had sneaked in somebody else’s house. We hid in the backyard bushes. The Bad Guy stuck his head out the door to check if the coast was clear. He didn’t see us, so he started walkin’ toward our bush. Well, I let go with my SNARLBARK! (It’s EXTREMELY LOUD, FUH-ROW-SHUS and SCARY an makes Bad Guys think I’m gonna bite their face off.) Anyway, Boom! that guy instantly hit the ground and hollered ‘I give up!’ I didn’t haff to lay a paw on him.”
“Cool Kibbles!” I exclaimed. “How’s retirement goin’ so far?”
“It’s takin’ some gettin’ use to. I miss the job. A LOT. Plus, Dad’s trainin’ his new partner, Douglas, a German Shepherd. We get along pretty good. Doug’s still real young. But, Dog, do I hate watchin’ ’em head to work, leavin’ me behind. That’s tough. I know it’s hard on Dad, too.”
“Bummer!”
“We all go through it e-VEN-shully. It was the same with Yoda when I arrived. But,” he continued philosophically, “I’ve got spine problems. My heart was still 150 percent in the job, but I couldn’t do it: You gotta be ready to roll instantly, an you never know how long you’ll be out there; could be 5 minutes or 8 hours.
“Don’t get me wrong, Bonz. I’ve got it great. Mom an Dad’re wonderful. Doug’s cool. I have my own room, an my own bed; Dad’s always buyin’ squeaker toys an stuffies cuz I rip out the squeakers and shred a stuffie to fluff in seconds. Even those ‘indestructubble’ Kongs don’t stand a snowball’s chance. I have so much energy it’s hard to sit still. I ’specially love spinnin’ real fast.”
“Do you like swimmin’?”
“Not really, although, during training, we drilled in ditches, canals, rivers, the ocean, on boats, even trained from a chopper.”
“PAW-some!” I exclaimed.
“But it’s not all chases an excitement. We’re also trained to be patient, level-headed an gentle, like when we visit schools. The kids love us. When a liddle 5-year-old comes up we are always calm an cool. I personally love hangin’ with liddle human puppers.”
Heading home, I was imaginin’ what it’d be like in Odie’s paws: Exciting, for sure, protectin’ people; chasin’ Bad Guys; facin’ Danger; never knowin’ what the day will bring. The biggest excitement in my life is jumpin’ in the pool when the heater’s off. Just give me my comfy bed, my pool, leash walks, lotsa TLC from Grandma an Grampa, an the occasional muffin, an I’m good to go.
Till next time,
The Bonz
