In Loving Memory of
K-9 STARKO
May 9, 2002

Handler: MPO II Rick Dietz
High Point Police Department
 1009 Leonard Ave.  High Point,  NC  27260
This photo was taken when Starko & I graduated patrol dog school. Angels are Belgium Malinois with wings 

The Morning Call and The Whitehall-Coplay Press- Starko was a Belgian Malinois born in Holland who immigrated to the U.S. when he was 2 years old. After we graduated Patrol Dog School on 19 April 1990 he hit the ground running. Among his many accomplishments was that he was the first K-9 to work with the High Point Police TACT Team, and as a result of his work a course was designed and taught at the N.C. Justice Academy for SWAT Dogs and their handlers. Starko was also in "Who's Who of Animals 1994". The list of his apprehensions, drug finds, and evidence recoveries is probably no greater than most Police Working Dogs, but to me he will always be the greatest K-9 to ever wear a badge. On 19 April 1997 Starko retired from active duty. His ceremony at the police department was attended by over 70 officers, which was a testament to his ability as a street dog. His retirement years were a blessing. On 09 May 2002 I had to make the decision that all handlers dread. I had to end my best friends life. Starko had developed complications from a tumor and had to be put to sleep. I am comforted by the  knowledge that I was able to be with Starko as he went to sleep for the last time and he knew that I was there and that he was loved. That was the hardest thing I've done, but I owed him that, because he never left me when the chips were down. He was a very courageous, noble, forgiving, and loving partner and friend and I shall always love and miss him.

E-MAIL RECEIVED 5/9/02 Thought I would send a note in reference Kent and Sasha.  I went through the K-9 academy in Texas with them.  They worked very well together.  I know that she will be missed very  much and never forgotten!!!!!!!!!   Thank you very much.  ~Deputy Ray E. Goetz CATRON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT. RESERVE, NM 101 Main Street - Reserve, NM 87830  Mailing Address P.O. Box 467 - Reserve, NM 87830  Telephone Numbers (505) 533-6222 Fax (505) 533-6722

Drug-sniffing police dog shot   The Missoulian newspaper  Ananconda Leader 
ANACONDA - Someone fatally shot the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County police department's drug-sniffing dog "Sasha" and dumped the body near her handler's home, law enforcement officials confirmed Wednesday. Investigators have made no arrests and have not determined if the killing was revenge by drug dealers, Chief Tom Blaz said."We haven't had any recent cases that were a direct result of working the drug dog, but it was no secret that's what the dog was," Blaz said. Sasha, a 3 1/2-year-old female black Labrador, had been shot once in the head, probably at close range, Assistant Police Chief Mark Blaskovich said. The body was left in an area next to Interstate 90 often used to dump animal carcasses and other refuse. The department made no announcement of the killing, and officials still withheld some information Wednesday. Blaz confirmed the death only after area residents called a number of news organizations, who inquired about the dog's death. Sasha's handler, Officer Kent Reisenauer, said she disappeared Friday after he let her out for exercise. He lives in Opportunity, just west of Interstate 90, and said Sasha's body was found about 1 1/2 miles away. An area resident out for a walk found the body and called him. "She never left the yard, or if she did she didn't go far," Reisenauer said Wednesday. He declined to speculate on who killed Sasha. Blaz would not say whether investigators recovered the slug from the dog's body. Blaskovich said the body was near the carcasses of two calves that had been there some time, but said it was unlikely that Sasha was shot by a rancher for chasing livestock. "Normally the owners (of livestock) would shoot the dog and call us," he said. Blaskovich said the department acquired Sasha from Texas almost two years ago at a cost of about $3,400 for training and transportation. 

In Loving Memory of
K-9 SHADOW
June 4, 2002

Handler: Officer Peter McClelland
Yarmouth Police Department 
1 Brad Erickson Way - W. Yarmouth, MA  02673
508-775.0445

Shadow mourned Yarmouth police dog nabbed crooks for 14 years
By KAREN JEFFREY - STAFF WRITER
YARMOUTHPORT - He was a frequent visitor to schools and senior citizen homes - an enthusiastic tail wagging ambassador for the Yarmouth police department. He excelled in state, national and international competitions and captured more than 100 felons trying to outrun the police over his 14-year career. Shadow, a Belgian Malinois, also had his share of legal problems, landing his handlers in federal court three times when convicted criminals sued over a dog bites. Nonetheless, the canine member of the Yarmouth police department was a well-recognized and popular figure in town. Shadow was recently euthanized because of a debilitating and degenerative spine disease. While most police dogs are retired before age 10, Shadow continued working until a few months before his death at age 14-1/2."It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do," says Officer Peter McClelland, who worked with Shadow since first picking him from a litter of puppies. It was Shadow's ability to concentrate, his quickness to obey commands, his agility and his intelligence that made him stand out, according to the dog's handlers. The special relationship he had with McClelland also made him unique. Police dogs are trained to track people, locate drugs, locate cadavers and control crowds. This leads some people to view them as tools, much like a gun or can of pepper spray, or something akin to a search tool. McClelland never shared that perspective. "The relationship between Peter and Shadow was unique, maybe one of the most incredible relationships between a police officer and a canine that I've ever seen," Deputy Chief Michael Almonte says. "Peter brought the best in that dog like he brings out in the people who train with him," added Barnstable police officer Sean Roycroft. "I'll take that one"  It was a last-minute change of mind that brought Shadow into McClelland's life.
 Official Honors
Shadow's contribution to Yarmouth was recognized last year in the form of a declaration from the state senate honoring his 14 years service. Shadow had 200 confirmed tracks - everything from suspected criminals to lost children and lost senior citizens as well as 100 captured suspects. Last year's annual Blessing of the Animals held in Yarmouth was dedicated to Shadow. "There wasn't a dry eye in the place when people saw Shadow with his gray muzzle standing there next to Peter," says Penny Schiller, Yarmouth animal control officer. "Peter and Shadow had an incredible connection, and one of the reasons for that is Peter really loves his dogs. He works with them constantly. They are an integral part of this life."   (Published: October 9, 2002) 
The Shadow File
 Shadow was the canine partner of Peter McClelland, a Yarmouth officer, for 14 years. McClelland bought Shadow from a breeder in North Carolina when Shadow was 7 weeks old. In 1992, the pair was judged the best of 26 canine units at regional trials in Orleans.  In September 1997, Duane Gomez was badly bitten after police broke open a vehicle and sent Shadow in after him. Shadow's handlers were cleared of any wrong doing in January 2002.  Another suspect, Shane Orton, had a run-in with Shadow after a night of drinking in October 1997. Shadow found Orton, who was hiding from the police, and bit his leg. Three years later, a jury ruled the officers acted reasonably when they caught Orton.  In June 2000, jury awarded $1 in damages to a man bitten by Shadow. Jerome Jarrett was wounded by the dog while fleeing police in 1994.  Shadow helped track an alleged burglar in Yarmouth in August 2001. The search ended when Shadow found Patrick Bishop in the bushes.  A campaign to raise money in support of Shadow raised $2,500 for Independence House. He had gone to North Carolina to select a puppy in anticipation of his German shepherd's retirement. McClelland observed the puppies at play, got down on his hands and knees to play with them himself. He decided on a red-coated male.
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Shadow mourned Yarmouth police dog nabbed crooks for 14 years By KAREN JEFFREY - STAFF WRITER
YARMOUTHPORT - He was a frequent visitor to schools and senior citizen homes - an enthusiastic tail wagging ambassador for the Yarmouth police department. He excelled in state, national and international competitions and captured more than 100 felons trying to outrun the police over his 14-year career. Shadow, a Belgian Malinois, also had his share of legal problems, landing his handlers in federal court three times when convicted criminals sued over a dog bites. Nonetheless, the canine member of the Yarmouth police department was a well-recognized and popular figure in town. Shadow was recently euthanized because of a debilitating and degenerative spine disease. While most police dogs are retired before age 10, Shadow continued working until a few months before his death at age 14-1/2."It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do," says Officer Peter McClelland, who worked with Shadow since first picking him from a litter of puppies. It was Shadow's ability to concentrate, his quickness to obey commands, his agility and his intelligence that made him stand out, according to the dog's handlers. The special relationship he had with McClelland also made him unique. Police dogs are trained to track people, locate drugs, locate cadavers and control crowds. This leads some people to view them as tools, much like a gun or can of pepper spray, or something akin to a search tool. McClelland never shared that perspective. "The relationship between Peter and Shadow was unique, maybe one of the most incredible relationships between a police officer and a canine that I've ever seen," Deputy Chief Michael Almonte says. "Peter brought the best in that dog like he brings out in the people who train with him," added Barnstable police officer Sean Roycroft. "I'll take that one"  It was a last-minute change of mind that brought Shadow into McClelland's life.
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Court upholds use of police K-9 force 
Yarmouth officer's use of dog to bite and hold suspect ruled appropriate by U.S. appeals panel.
By KAREN JEFFREY- STAFF WRITER
 A two-year legal battle over whether a Yarmouth police officer used excessive force when sending his dog after a fleeing suspect ended in victory yesterday for the officer. A three-judge panel of the First U.S. District Court of Appeals ruled that Officer Peter McClelland did not use undue force nor violate the civil rights of Jerome Jarrett in 1994, when his dog bit and held Jarrett during a foot chase. "Shadow has been exonerated. I am happy beyond words," said McClelland yesterday afternoon when word of the decision reached him. "Having this hang over my head all this time has not been easy. My whole career was put in doubt," he said. "This decision will become the standard for all other decisions involving police canines," said Leonard Kesten, who represented McClelland and the town. "It will become a sort of Miranda rights for police canines," Kesten said. "There can be no doubt now that a canine is not deadly force, and that there are appropriate circumstances in which police can release a dog to bite and hold a suspect," he said. Shadow, a Belgian Malinois, died earlier this year after serving the town of Yarmouth for nearly 14 years. He and McClelland won honors in regional, national and international competitions throughout his career. Yesterday's decision represents the last of three cases brought against McClelland and the town as a result of Shadow biting suspects during police chases. In the other cases - which were filed after Jarrett's initial victory - juries in U.S. District Court in Boston rejected arguments that McClelland erred in sending Shadow after fleeing suspects. In all three cases, Shadow bit and held the suspects until McClelland ordered the dog to release them, as he was trained to do All three suspects received stitches as a result of the bites. Shadow bit Jarrett in December 1994 during a police chase that began when police tried to pull him over for speeding on Route 28. Police said Jarrett, who was also a suspect in an armed robbery case, admitted jumping out of the car and scaling a nearby fence to avoid police. He was later convicted of the armed robbery charge. McClelland and Shadow were called to track Jarrett through a nearby residential neighborhood. McClelland unleashed Shadow after spotting Jarrett and shouting a warning to stop or have the dog released on him. In June 2000, a jury in U.S. District Court in Boston awarded Jarrett legal fees plus $1 after finding use of the bite-and-hold technique, common among police dogs, was akin to deadly force. That jury also took the unusual step of writing a note to the Yarmouth police department recommending that its police dogs be trained to only bark at suspected criminals. The appeals court decision, written by Judge Juan Turruellafound:  Other federal courts have ruled that use of a police dog does not constitute deadly force.  McClelland acted within departmental regulations concerning use of force in sending his dog after Jarrett.   Jarrett's original complaint against McClelland and Shadow should have been dismissed because McClelland was protected by "qualified immunity," which protects officials from civil damages as long as their actions don't violate established statutory or constitutional rights." The appeals court took a further step in noting, "all the evidence supports the conclusion that Officer McClelland was exceptionally well trained. The uncontradicted testimony was that Officer McClelland and Shadow were one the highest-rated K-9 teams in the nation. They had even been recognized internationally." 
Published: October 26, 2002) Photo: Steve Heaslip / Cape Cod Times

Peter has MAKO  & MAKO WITH NEW KOBI