Fluffy the war hero loving life in the U.S.

December 1, 2008
  
Handler: Officer Cari Guerrero  

In Loving Memory of
K9 FIDEL
 October 18, 2008

Sydney, Australia

Impaled police dog dies in surgery - Fidel died during emergency surgery yesterday. A police dog has died after falling on a metal pole while helping police investigate a break-and-enter at a Sydney school on the weekend.The dog, named Fidel, jumped over a wall and fell five metres, landing on a pole, while officers were looking for intruders at North Ryde Animal Hospitalon Saturday about 10:30pm (AEDT). The dog's stomach was punctured. A policeman broke his wrist when he went to help the dog. Fidel was taken to North Ryde Animal Hospital but died during emergency surgery yesterday. Four teenage boys were arrested at the school and charged with break and enter. They have been granted bail to appear at Bidura Children's Court on November 11.
submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA

 San Diego police Officer Paul Hubka will forever remember June 20, 2008, as one of the worst days of his life. That is when Hubka made the fatal mistake of forgetting his canine partner, Forrest, in the back seat of his patrol car on what turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year.  The 5-year-old Belgian Malinois ended up dying of heatstroke. “It was entirely my responsibility to look out for my canine partner. Obviously, in this instance, I failed to do so,” Hubka said Friday in his first public statement about Forrest's death. “I will regrettably have to live with that fact.”  The veteran officer struggled to maintain composure, occasionally dabbing at his eyes with a tissue, as he recalled the dog's death and the painful weeks that followed. The public statement came one day after Hubka pleaded no contest to misdemeanor animal endangerment in the incident. A judge sentenced him to three years' probation and 100 hours of community service. He also must pay the Police Department nearly $5,000 for the dog. San Diego police Chief William Lansdowne said Hubka, who'd served in the K9 unit for 17 years, will no longer work with dogs, but the officer will continue to serve in the department. Hubka said Friday that he felt “morally compelled” to explain to the community what happened on June 20. He had returned to his home in Alpine about 7:30 a.m. after working a graveyard shift. He had worked the past 21 days, with only one day off. “Although I didn't realize it at the time, I was both physically and mentally exhausted from work,” he said. He said he followed his normal routine of leaving Forrest in the car while he put the family dog inside the house so Forrest could be put in the kennel. But on this day, Hubka saw that the family dog, Sammy, had chewed up a newspaper and then hid. Hubka cleaned up the newspaper mess and, not seeing Sammy in the yard, forgot to put him inside the house and take Forrest out of the car. He then went to bed. “Shortly after I awoke, I realized what had happened,” Hubka recalled. “I had made a terrible mistake – one that I will live with for the rest of my life.” To prevent future tragedies, San Diego police have purchased heat-alarm systems for the K9 unit's 53 patrol cars. The system will automatically lower the car's windows, switch on the air-conditioning and sound an alarm if the car temperature gets too hot. The technology will cost the department about $36,000 total, but Hubka hopes to raise enough money through a new foundation to pay  back the cost, as well as raise money for other K9 units. Other private donations have also come to the San Diego Police Officers Association to help Hubka with legal costs and to pay back the department. “I sincerely hope my law enforcement family,  and you, the community of San Diego, will accept my most sincere apology,” Hubka said.
 “I humbly ask you to give me an opportunity to prove myself once again worthy of your trust.”
 submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA

K-9 was partner-friend to Landers
Lt. Brian Landers patrolled with K-9 Officer Felon for about eight years. Felon had to retire in 2003 after an injury he sustained during a police chase. Retired K-9 Officer Felon was all of the above to Lt. Brian Landers, a former K-9 officer for the Wisconsin Dells Police Department. But this weekend arthritis, old age and work-related injuries took their toll, preventing Felon from being able to walk any longer, and Landers knew it was time to put him down. Felon would have been 14-years-old in December. Among his many distinctions, Felon was the offspring of award-winning German shepherd parents from Germany. But because of a birth defect, he was available to become the first K-9 officer at the Dells Police Department. Landers took it upon himself to raise money from the community to buy the department's first dog. He said being a K-9 officer was something he always wanted to do, and he thought a K-9 was something the Dells community could really use. Then Assistant Chief Bret Anderson, now chief, said actively curtailing drug use in the Dells was a big reason he supported the department buying a dog. "I thought it was important that we be proactive when dealing with drugs in our community," Anderson said. "Felon was an excellent opportunity to purchase a dog through fundraising efforts, which Landers did, and provide that service to the community."
So, in July 1995, Landers went through training with Felon, and by May 1996 he and Felon were on the streets patrolling. Felon was a dual-purpose dog, trained in drug detection and criminal apprehension. While at work and while off duty, Landers and Felon were together. But being the only dog the department had, it also meant they were on-call 24 hours a day. Anderson said Felon served well and with distinction during his career.  In 1996, Felon was honored by the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Canine Handlers Association as the Apprehension of the Year winner for a drug find and apprehension he had completed. He also had one of the best records of any drug dog in Wisconsin, Anderson said, both in terms of number of finds and money and property seized during busts. Landers said, "When he was working he was all business, always on alert." But Landers knew he could trust Felon when he wasn't working, when he was walking down a crowded street or when his ears and tail were being pulled on by grade school students during a presentation. Felon was deployed about 100 times per year when he was working and had more than 30 criminal apprehensions to his name. One apprehension that Landers said was particularly memorable came during a physical disturbance between a suspect and another officer. When additional officers arrived on scene, the suspect fled. The officers couldn't find him, so Felon was called in to track him down. Felon found him in a hotel basement and trapped him under an old box spring. When officers arrived and arrested him, the suspect admitted that Felon had made him defecate in his pants. During another altercation a suspect in a domestic disturbance was threatening to flee police. But when it was pointed out to him that Felon was behind him, he immediately threw his hands up in surrender. However, Felon's desire to catch the bad guy ultimately contributed to his demise. During a pursuit in 2003, a suspect jumped out of a car, and Felon jumped down an embankment to chase him. He fell and tore two ACLs and was forced to retire. The department bought a new K-9, a Dutch shepherd named Gevaar, now 7, with Felon's insurance money. Landers began his training, but ultimately handed him off to Officer Jesse Weaver because he had additional responsibilities as Sergeant and because Felon and Gevaar didn't get along well at home. Landers wife, Karen Robinson Landers, said they didn't get along because they were such different dogs. Felon was "work all the time," and Gevaar always wanted to have fun. The Landers had three other dogs in the house during Felon's lifetime, but no children. He tolerated a pit bull they owned, but kept his distance. He got along well with the two basset hounds they had. "We joked that they (Felon and a basset Wrigley) were twins," Robinson Landers said. "He thought Felon was his big brother. He was more protective of Wrigley than of me."  Landers said Felon was protective of both him and his wife, but Robinson Landers saw things a little differently. "It was always a standing joke, at least for me, that he would push me in front of a car if he could get my side of the bed," she said. "He loved me, but he only had eyes for Brian." Even after he retired, Felon still felt the need to protect Landers, Robinson Landers said. His protective instincts got to the point that he would sleep better when Landers wasn't home because he could relax. Despite his injuries, Felon still wanted to go to work with Landers every day, and was visibly saddened when he was told he had to stay home while Landers went to work. Felon was a physically intimidating dog, but occasionally Landers was busy and asked other officers if they could go to his house and let him out. They knew Felon was protective of the house, so Landers came up with a way that they could draw him out. "They were afraid of him," Landers said, "But he liked marshmallows. So we left them outside the door." Robinson Landers said Felon's sweet tooth extended to other treats like ice cream, but didn't stop there. "We never ran across a sweet he didn't like," she said. She also discovered that he loved to eat frozen hot dogs. Felon's sweet tooth and intimidating presence will be missed, but he won't likely be forgotten anytime soon, because he wasn't only a pet and a protector. He was a friend and a family member.
submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA  

Canada Police dog killed in search for missing man    PSD Fred struck by vehicle minutes after arriving on Springfield scene
NovaNewsNow.com
The accidental death of an RCMP dog near Springfield Wednesday has saddened police officers in South Western Nova Scotia and has devastated the dog’s partner Sgt. Marcel Guilbault of the Chester Detachment, said RCMP spokesman Sgt. Mark Gallagher.  The three-year-old, 80-pound German shepherd named Fred, was apparently struck by a vehicle shortly after 10:30 a.m., minutes after arriving at a search scene about three kilometers from Springfield. Police were searching for 77-year-old William Lewis, a man described as a recluse who had not been seen for some time. Gallagher said that nobody saw the dog being hit, but did hear a noise that might have been the impact of the vehicle hitting Fred. Then yelping noises were heard. Gallagher said a grayish vehicle, that looked similar to a Toyota SUV was seen but the vehicle didn’t stop. Gallagher said Guilbault was devastated. “It’s having your partner killed,” he said. “For the dog master it’s the buddy you spend night and day with. You have a very close bond. For some it’s like losing a child.”  Annapolis RCMP Sgt. Gordon Hay, who arrived at the scene after the accident, said PSD Fred was a purebred German shepherd described by Guilbault as remarkably bright, having finished training in half the time other Police Services Dogs require. He said Fred only had to be shown something once and he remembered it. “He (Guilbault) has lost a partner and a friend,” said Hay. “He was very sad. There’s a bond there that goes beyond being a pet owner.” Hay said with Fred’s death, the RCMP have lost a valuable member and specialized resource. Galleghar said that under the Motor Vehicle Act, there is nothing that requires a driver to stop when they hit an animal, but added that most people stop and check. He said that the RCMP would like to know exactly what happened. “There would be no charges, obviously,” he said “We just want to get the information.” He said the police, and especially Guilbault would like some closure.  “It’s hard for everybody, especially the dog handler,” he said. “He was part of the family and part of work.”  Galleghar said a memorial service will be held for Fred, but said it was too early to say when or where. He said it could be in Chester or even at RCMP headquarters in Halifax. The search for William Lewis started Tuesday afternoon after Department of Natural Resources patrols came upon circumstances that seemed out of the ordinary to them, said Hay. RCMP were contacted and then police contacted the man’s family.  For the first two days of the search, the Department of Natural Resources supplied a helicopter to help search. On Thursday an RCMP helicopter took over. Also involved were members of Annapolis Ground Search and Rescue.  As of mid-afternoon Thursday, Lewis had not been located.
submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA

    January 30, 2008

Handler: Allen Kinsley

"Flicak" passed away on Wednesday, January, 30, 2008. "Flicka" spent the last five months with handler Allen Kinsley, of the Linn County Sheriff's Office. "Flicka" served with the Linn County Sheriff's Office since 2004.  "Flicka" apparenty succombed to complications from emergency surgery which she had on January 4th. ""The greater love is a mother's; then comes a dog's; then a sweetheart's." - Polish Proverb
submitted by Jim Cortina