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Died 6/2/16
Handler – Deputy Burch
Retired police dog passes away
Sheriff Mike Boudreaux announced the death of Kayo, a retired police dog. Kayo served the department from 2006-2012. His handler was Sheriff’s Deputy Doug Burch, stationed out of Visalia Headquarters Patrol. “Our hearts go out to Deputy Burch and all the K-9 handlers who worked with him and Kayo,” Boudreaux said. “We appreciate his work.” Kayo was the first police dog purchased with money from the Sence Foundation and was named for Kim Oviatt, Sence president. The sheriff’s department is currently raising money to buy two new police dogs. Kayo, a Belgian malinois, was very protective, Burch said. Many times, suspects surrendered on the spot before releasing Kayo. “You can’t quantify how many times K9s are there for us,” he said. “Plenty of guys told me they would have run away but Kayo terrified them.” One incident, Burch remembers well happened near Woodlake. A man wanted for his third strike was located and it had been rumored that he wasn’t going to be taken in without a fight. Burch responded to the call and drove down the driveway with the windows down. Kayo started barking. “Kayo was very protective,” he said. “He had a bark and a growl that was extremely aggressive.” The suspect heard Kayo barking and gave up with his hands in the air. “He absolutely surrendered because of that dog,” Burch said. “I had more surrenders than bites with Kayo.” At the Sierra K-9 Trials held annually in Visalia, Kayo usually won the Agitators Choice award for being the hardest-hitting dog. He also won trophies for agility, obedience, protection and overall winner. Kayo was able to apprehend suspects while on patrol, but he was a social butterfly in the briefing room at headquarters, in the emergency dispatch center and at home. Burch said it’s very easy to grow fond of K-9s, given the amount of time handlers spend with their dogs. “I spent more time with him than I did with my wife and kids,” he said. His oldest child was 2 years old when he first brought Kayo home. Now, he has four children and a second police dog, Daisy. Burch has been working with Daisy since Kayo retired.
