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Died 7/6/21
Handler – Officer Joshua English
Officer says final farewell to Keene’s former police dog Patriot
Patriot wasn’t your average dog. Rather than cuddling with his family or taking a snooze while off duty, the Keene Police Department’s K-9 was always focused, ready for his next task, according to his handler. “Patriot was very intense,” said Officer Joshua English. “Everybody has that friend that’s Type A and works all the time. That was generally his personality.” But, a few years into his retirement due to an injury, Patriot’s age got the best of him. The all-black German Shepherd, who was still living with English, died Tuesday at the age of 12. “He was really one of my best friends,” English said Wednesday. “I had the honor of having a job which was quite unique in that I got to live and work with my best friend.” Patriot — who was English’s first K-9 — joined the Keene Police Department in 2010. English and his family took him in from Frankfurt, Germany, with the intent of having him become a police dog. He had already learned a handful of basic commands before arriving in the United States, so English said he continued his training in German to make the transition easier. Specializing in patrol and narcotic work, Patriot would be called to various incidents in the region, for instance to find a missing person or to locate drugs, English said. As an officer, Patriot was a huge help in such situations, according to English. At times, English admitted, the dog was doing better than him. “Patriot’s ability to learn quickly far surpassed my ability to read his body language. I was always the weak link for whatever call we had,” he said with a laugh. “I was slowing him down it felt like, especially in the beginning.” Patriot and English also participated in community events across the Monadnock Region during their partnership. “We as police generally do not deal with people at their best … having the K-9 is actually the first time, throughout my entire law enforcement career, where people were actually just happy to see us,” English said in a 2015 interview. But being a handler wasn’t always easy, English said. Keene police have a mutual-aid agreement with other towns, meaning surrounding agencies can request assistance during emergency situations. Though it doesn’t pertain just to K-9 work, English said he and Patriot were on call “pretty much 24-7.” This was in addition to keeping up with Patriot’s training, which often happened in English’s free time. “Being a K-9 handler is probably the hardest job I’ve ever had outside of being a parent,” he said. “However, it’s also the most rewarding. You get to live and work with your best friend, but you certainly take your work home with you.” Patriot kept on with his police work until 2018, when he injured a muscle from his spine to hind leg. Though English said they were able to rehabilitate it, the pain was chronic and Patriot had to retire. This change was difficult for Patriot, even years into his retirement. He just wanted to work, English said. “It was horrible to come home for a meal break in the police car … so he’d see me come in, in uniform, and I’d feel bad for him,” he said. Even so, Patriot stayed positive up until his final moments, ready to take on anything. “I was very fortunate with Patriot. We had a lot of great success,” English said. “… He’ll be greatly missed.”
