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Died – 4/14/22
Handler – Officer Kipp Harris
The relationship between man and dog has been very well documented throughout history. Now, take that connection and add in a 24-hour, seven days a week relationship that is bonded by trust, danger, duty and family ties, and the relationship finds a whole new meaning. Amery officer Kipp Harris is learning how to adjust in the days since unexpectedly losing K9 officer Kerchak last month. Harris was best friends with his partner Kerchak. The pair went everywhere together: Home, the office, patrol, calls, meetings, town gatherings — you name it, and you could count on Officer Harris and his partner to be there, before they went back home again to eat together, play together and spend time with family together. Their story began in the summer of 2016. Harris said at the time, Joe Vierkandt was with the Amery Police Department and he was a big supporter of the department getting a K9 officer. Harris said he was always thought being a K9 officer would be cool. He was one of three to interview and he was chosen. Kerchak originally came to the US from the Czech Republic, just over a year before Harris met him, and was intended to be a therapy dog for a teenage girl with medical problems. But for whatever reason, Kerchak began to show signs of serious stress and anxiety. The family opted for another dog and gave Kerchak to Saving Shepherds, who works with rescued German Shepherds. “We were basically looking for a dog on a budget,” explained Harris. They had searched local shelters and eventually asked the Saving Shepherds trainer to keep an eye out for a dog with ball drive. She found one, despite some oddities and introduced Harris to Kerchak. “His ball drive was off the charts,” said Harris. “And then we saw some his behaviors.” He explained how Kerchak would chase and bite his own tail and lay down and suck on his own hip for long periods of time. “He would get so nervous it was like anxiety. He would go lay up against the fence and suck on his side like a pacifier.” They weren’t sure what had happened to make Kerchak that way. But because his ball drive was such a rarity, they decided to bring him back to Amery and try him out. “The vet took a look at his issues and decided to put him on some medication, similar Prozac. And he’s was just a different dog.” In order to perform efficiently, Harris and Kerchak had to form an equal partnership based on loyalty, training and, most importantly, a trustworthy bond. They did just that. Kerchak was gradually introduced to the Harris family. “My trainer was very strict on how he wanted Kerchak kept. At first, he had to be in a kennel, outside. The only attention or affection he got in the beginning was from me. For a while he stayed outside. He was my buddy at work and in play. After he was successful in training, I decided to bring him inside. He got along great with our other dog and the kids adored him,” said Harris. As for his work responsibilities, Kerchak was able to track people and sniff narcotics. It turned out though, that Kerchak offered up something even bigger to the city than assisting with fighting crime and that was his presence at community events. “He was a beautiful boy and people would light up when they saw him. Having him there offered positive interactions with law enforcement. Kids just loved him-everyone loved him,” Harris said. Harris said on and off for years, they noticed Kerchak would get a rash on his stomach that topical cream would temporarily treat. Harris said, “It got to the point where his skin was always bothering him. After some skin tests, it was recently determined Kerchak had an autoimmune disease of some sort and he was put on treatment for it. He seemed like he was getting better and it was great.” A short time later, Harris noticed Kerchak seemed under the weather, but didn’t put too much stock into it, as some days Kerchak did seem to just lollygag around. “It was just his personality. Some days I would need to run and coax him to join me. Sometimes I had to make a game out of it. So, to say when he seemed noticeable lethargic is hard. I have thought back about it over and over,” said Harris. On the morning of April 14, 2022, Harris and Kerchak went out to the airport to play ball. Kerchak seemed exceptionally slow and throughout the day seemed extra sleepy. Once the officer duo went home, Kerchak got sick a few times and Harris noticed blood. He started calling emergency vets and was having a hard time finding one who could see Kerchak right away. He was able to take him to Springer in Centuria, who determined Kerchak’s liver was not doing well. Harris was able to immediately take Kerchak to an emergency vet in Oakdale, during the ride Kerchak continued to decline. On arrival, Kerchak was wheeled away and it was the last moment Harris had with his partner. At first, he was told he had a 25-50% chance of survival and Harris told them to do whatever was needed. 45 minutes later, Harris received the call Kerchak had not made it. His liver had failed.Right as he received the news, an Oakdale officer had stopped because he had seen the K9 vehicle parked there for a while and wanted to see if everything was alright. After speaking with Harris, that officer contacted the Washington County K9 officer and he and another lieutenant came to offer their support. “It was really appreciated,” said Harris. It hit Harris hard on the drive home that he had lost his work buddy, his work dog, the family dog and now his job would be different. It was sudden shock. Harris said, “This is not how I thought it would go. I thought he would eventually retire, but I would still have him at home. I thought I had a few more years with him.” Harris said he went through all the stages of grief. He experienced days of sadness, anger and times of guilt. “It was so unexpected. I never thought it was going to be so hard. I have lost other dogs, and this was so much harder to go through. It is still hard, and I do not know how to explain it,” he said. It has been an adjustment to say the least for Harris and his entire family. “I do not do the stuff anymore that I loved doing. I do not practice finding narcotics or tracking. I do not get together with other K9 handlers to practice training,” said Harris.At the most recent meeting of the Amery City Council, Harris and his family were present when Resolution 02-2022 recognized and honored the life and service of K9 officer Kerchak. It is absolutely undeniable that when a K9 loses their life, it takes a significant toll on the handler, the department and the entire city that loved them. When asked if he thinks Amery will have another K9 officer in their future, Harris responded, “Eventually, I really hope so.”
