 Memorials
to Fallen K-9s
2003 page 22
The
F.A.S.T. Co. donates sets of cards to all partners
I
need your help to inform me of
such
losses.
|
Dept.
addresses available for those who want to send condolences to officers.
See below
In
Loving
Memory of
K-9
Quincy
July
10, 2003
Partner: Sgt.
Tim Eggebraaten
Detroit
Lakes
Police Dept.
address Detroit
Lakes Police Department
Attn:
Sgt. Tim Eggebraaten
106
East Holmes Street
Detroit
Lakes, MN 56501
218-846-3205
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DL
police dog dies; Quincy played with kids, caught crooks
By TIM KJOS -
timk@dlnewspapers.com
- Jul. 16, 2003
Quincy
was quite the police dog. The German Shepherd was so docile with
kids that they could hug him and playfully pull his ears with nary a
snarl
or snap. It was a different matter when he searched for suspects in a
building
break-in, sniffing for narcotics or acting as his handler's
backup.
Quincy did his job as a member of the Detroit Lakes Police Department,
and he did it well. But it all came to end July 10. Quincy was
suffering
from terminal cancer and was euthanized by a Detroit Lakes
veterinarian.
He would have been 10 years old in November. His handler, DLPD Sgt. Tim
Eggebraaten, and Police Chief Kel Keena have high praise for and
fond
memories of the 92-pound dog. "If I could pick a dog out of
100,000
dogs I couldn't have picked a better one," eulogized Eggebraaten
Monday.
"He was great with the family and the kids . In the past, we could
literally
go from doing a demonstration for the kids to an insion-type call where
we were doing a building search." Keena considers Quincy a "good
first dog" for DLPD. Keena said Quincy was fairly friendly, well
trained
and well disciplined. "Tim used the dog a lot initially. Once he got
known,
was getting called out to assist other agencies a lot - the (Becker
County)
sheriff's department did not have a dog at the time, nobody in the
region
had a dog. The closest dog at the time was Fargo-Moorhead," detailed
Keena.
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As such, Eggebraaten and Quincy were in demand for law enforcement
purposes
in Becker, Mahnomen and Hubbard counties. He was particularly useful at
area public schools. Administrators called on Quincy to "sniff" for
narcotics
in the students' lockers. "Tim made a lot of inroads there," stated
Keena.
Eggebraaten became interested in canine police work while attending a
regional
competition of police officers and sheriff's deputies in Fargo in 1989.
Eggebraaten was working at the Clay County Jail in Moorhead at the
time.
His desires to use a dog for police work reached fruition when he
joined
the DLPD in 1992. With the effort of then-Police Chief Walt Tollefson,
Eggebraaten was able to pursue the possibility. By the time Keena took
over as chief, the proposal was "locked" in. Eggebraaten obtained
Quincy
and they attended a special training school. "We had to do some
finagling
to get that first squad car. But as far as money goes Tim had pretty
much
raised enough money to equip the squad car and go to school for three
months,"
cited Keena. The public quickly warmed to Quincy.
while
there was a budget line item for the dog, the department frequently
received
unsolicited donations from individuals and organizations to further
support
the program. Quincy was a rarity among police dogs. He served a dual
purpose:
public lyceums and demonstrations, and on patrol with Eggebraaten. Many
police dogs can only be used for one role because of their
personalities.
Quincy is credited with 25 to 30 apprehensions and was instrumental in
a number of area drug searches during his seven-year career. His
largest
drug bust involved three to four pounds of marijuana. Eggebraaten has
many
fond memories of their time on patrol and at public forums. During one
arrest, Eggebraaten recalls patting down a suspect who repeatedly
opened
and closed a fist while glancing between the two officers. Quincy, who
was inside the squad car, was barking at the suspect because of the
motion.
Eggebraaten warned the suspect several times not to clench his fist,
and
finally the suspect relented. "Suspects will fight with five of us
(officers),
but you throw one dog into the mix and most people have that fear, that
intimidation," noted Eggebraaten. Ironically, Quincy was nearing the
end
of his police career before his terminal illness was detected. There
had
been discussions between Keena and Eggebraaten to retire Quincy at the
end of this year. Keena said no decision has been made yet whether to
replace
Quincy for Eggebraaten, or get another dog and assign a different
officer
as handler. Keena said it might be better for Eggebraaten to tackle
other
duties since roughly one-third of his career has been spent on canine
duty.
Eggebraaten shares that same thought. "I've been a cop for 11 years and
for seven of those years I had Quincy. It's been a big hole ripped out
of me, but he was a fantastic dog."
notified
by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA, Inc.
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In
Loving Memory
of
K-9
MARKO
July
17, 2003
Partner:
Officer Jim Hagerty
LOS
ANGELES POLICE DEPT
METROPOLITAN
DIVISON
K-9
PLATOON - 251 E. 6TH ST
LOS
ANGELES CA 90014
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Jim
Hagerty from the Los Angeles Police Department put his retired dog,
Marko
down yesterday. He was a Dutch shepherd and service from 1994-1999.
K-9
Marko is the one on the right, the other is k-9 Rudy.
Marko
was Jim's third do and Rudy is his forth.
Marko
was Jim Hagerty's 3rd dog, but
Marko
was his first dog and served 94-99.then Jim got
K9
zane in 2000 but he was retired in 2001. Jim had
Rudy
and Axel for a bit each just temporaily while
their
handlers were temporarily reassigned. He
had
Bubba last October. Techincally Bubba is his third
dog.
notified
by Dusty Simon
marko
is k9-on the right
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In
Loving Memory
of
K-9
HONDO
July
16, 2003
Partner:
Sgt. John Bullard
Independence
Police Dept.
Chief
Gary George
223
North Memorial
Dr.
Independence, MO 64051
(816)
325-7259
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Police
Dog Dies When Patrol Car Malfunctions And Overheats
BY
BLYTHE TERRELL AND LINDA MAN - Knight Ridder Newspapers
KANSAS
CITY, Mo. - Independence, Mo., police are trying to determine how a
cooling
system malfunctioned, causing a police dog to become overheated in a
parked
patrol car. The 18-month-old animal, Hondo, died of heat exposure
Wednesday
evening. "It's like losing a family member," said Capt. Gregg
Wilkinson.
"Dogs become attuned to their handler and their family members."
Police said they had received angry calls and e-mails about Hondo's
death,
but said Hondo's handler was not to blame. Instead, the air
conditioning
failed, as did an alarm that would have warned the officer the car was
getting too hot. "The cars are set up to be as safe as we can
possibly
make them," Officer Paul Thompson said at a news conference Thursday.
"For
someone to think that we'd do something intentionally cruel to our
partner,
someone who will jump out of the car in a moment and die for us, is
absolutely
ludicrous." Police said Sgt. John Bullard left Hondo, a German
shepherd,
in the vehicle about 3:30 p.m. at the Independence Canine Unit. The car
was running, the air conditioning was on, and the hood was raised to
keep
the car from overheating. Bullard went to an inside office about
10 feet from the car to do paperwork. Police said it was normal for
officers
to leave their dogs in running patrol cars. When Bullard returned after
about an hour, Hondo was unconscious. Bullard tried to rush Hondo to an
animal hospital, with lights flashing and sirens blaring. But about
4:35
p.m. at 23rd Street and Belmont Boulevard, Bullard's car struck a
vehicle
that turned in front of him. The car's 82-year-old driver was
transported
to Medical Center of Independence with non-life-threatening
injuries.
Bullard refused treatment and took Hondo to the hospital in another
police
vehicle. Police were investigating why the police vehicle's "hot
dog" system failed. The system is designed to roll down a window, turn
on a fan and sound a siren to alert the dog handler when temperatures
in
the vehicle approach an unsafe level. Officers set this level, usually
about 90 degrees, each day. They also test the system at the beginning
of each shift. This is the first time Independence's system has failed
since its installation five years ago. Many area police
departments
use similar systems to protect their dogs, and some officers said it
was
not uncommon to leave dogs in the car with the air conditioning on.
"They
may leave them while they're on a call or in the station for a little
bit,"
said Sgt. Jesse McLendon of the North Kansas City Police Department.
"There
are times when they're working accidents and stuff when they may not be
able to take them in." McLendon said officers in his unit also
tested
the system when their shifts began. Five officers work in
Independence's
K-9 unit, each with his own dog. Hondo's death reduces the number to
four.
The department has started the replacement process. The German
Shepherds
live with the officers and their families, and officers are very close
to their dogs, Thompson said. "We spend more time with these dogs
than we do our families," Officer Mike Onka said. "If we're at home,
they're
home. If we're at work, they're at work." Hondo had aided police
in several felony captures, including the discovery of 18 pounds of
cocaine.
Hondo came to the unit on Sept. 11 and started work with Bullard on
Jan.
1. "He was coming into his own, and they were really starting to
work as a team," Thompson said.
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Hondo
put to rest
:
Officer
mourns loss of partner
Sgt.
John Bullard grieves for his partner Hondo Wednesday, July 30th.
A crowd of mourners gathered in a public tribute Wednesday for fallen
officer
K9 Hondo, but for those who lived with him and loved him most, the loss
is a deeply-felt and private grief. "Hondo was truly part of our
family," said Konnie Bullard, wife of Hondo's handler, Sgt. John
Bullard.
"We knew him not just as a pet but as John's partner and we all
understood
that part of John coming home safely every day had to do with the
strength
and abilities of his partner." The Bullards, along with the other
families of the K9 unit, shared in the afternoon ceremony that put
Hondo
to rest. The dog's ashes were presented at the memorial stone that
stands
in front of the K9 unit building, just off Missouri 78. His final
resting
place, though, will be at home.
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Paul
Beaver, the Examiner
Sgt. John Bullard pets his new dog Daro, a male German Shephard,
purchased
with private funds to replace his dog Hondo
By
DARLA McFARLAND The Examiner 7/23/03
Paul
Beaver, the Examiner
Sgt. John Bullard pets his new dog Daro, a male German Shephard,
purchased
with private funds to replace his dog Hondo. The flag in front of
the Independence police K-9 training center still flies at half-staff
in
honor of Hondo, the police dog lost to heat exposure last Wednesday,
even
as his replacement is welcomed into the unit. Sgt. John Bullard,
Hondo's
handler/trainer, greeted the new arrival Sunday with an equal measure
of
enthusiasm and grief for his lost partner. "I did a lot of hard
soul-searching
last week as to whether I wanted to do this again," Bullard said. "But,
then I thought this program is too important to the community and to me
to just walk away. So, here I am." Bullard suffered the loss of his
longtime
partner, Kemo, to a rare form of cancer in 2002. Hondo was brought in
to
replace Kemo in November and was commissioned to service in January. He
was one of the first two dogs fully trained at the K-9 units new
training
facility in east Independence. Hondo died last Wednesday after
suffering
heat exposure inside the rear-seat canine quarters of Bullard's patrol
car. The car's air conditioning and the Hot Dog monitoring system
designed
to signal a rise in temperature both failed. Hondo was in the car for
about
an hour before Bullard discovered the problem. A short time before,
Bullard
and Hondo had visited a DARE summer camp program where they did a
demonstration
and met the children. "His last official act was to let about 50 kids
come
and meet him and pet him. To me, that is what this unit is really all
about,"
said a tearful Bullard. He said the support of his fellow officers and
the community is helping him through the loss. The K-9 unit has
received
many dozens of phone calls, e-mails and cards expressing sympathy and
support.
Donations are also coming in to cover the costs of purchasing the new
dog.
"This program is too important to the community and to me to just walk
away. So here I am."
SGT.
John Bullard
Independence
K-9 handler, whose partner Hondo died last week
Contributions
can be made to
Coins
for Canines, c/o Bank 10,
17430
East 39th Street,
Independence,
Mo., 64055
The
vast majority of the K-9 unit's facility and equipment has been paid
for
through private donations. Police officials said they were unable to
pinpoint
the exact nature of the system failure that led to Hondo's death. The
manufacturer
of the Hot Dog system, a Miami, Fla. company, is sending five new
control
units to re-outfit the K-9 cars. The Police Department will also test
another
system from a different manufacturer. The new dog, officially named
Daro
Zo Ziaru, arrived from a training center in Ohio Sunday. He is a
pure-breed
German shepherd, 19 months old, bred in the Slovak Republic. He will
undergo
14 to 16 weeks of training in obedience, search and apprehension and
narcotics
detection. The dog is dark in coloring with almost solid black boots
and
tall ears. His face is also mostly black but with a noticeable tan mask
around the eyes, suggesting a possible new name. "I've been thinking
about
Zoro because of the mask but I don't know yet," Bullard said. "We have
to get to know each other and see what kind of personality he
has."
Bullard
said Daro scored very high on the basic tests for a police dog
including
the hunt instinct, confidence and physical agility. He also
demonstrated
an approachability that bodes well for his role as a public ambassador.
"Almost
immediately he let me come up and run my hands over his face and look
at
his teeth without appearing threatened," Bullard said. "That's a good
sign
that he'll be comfortable with people."
The Independence Examiner
submitted
by Jim Cortina
death
submitted by karenmak1@comcast.net
& Frank Bunney for photo.
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