Died 5\/5\/21
\n1st Handler – Sgt.Scott Robertson
\n2nd Handler – Officer Blake Gobbo<\/p>\n
It was a chilly early afternoon in the spring of 2018 when an armed suspect fled from officers as they attempted to arrest him outside the library in downtown Glenwood Springs. The suspect, who was wanted on several burglary and theft charges, quickly disappeared from officers before hiding and locking himself inside a guesthouse on Bennett Avenue. \u201cWe did a three-block area search and Zeus ended up finding the guy and alerting at a residence. He was going nuts saying \u2018hey the guy is in here!\u2019\u201d handler and Glenwood Springs Police Officer Blake Gobbo said. \u201cThe suspect didn\u2019t care about rifles pointed at him but we had to reassure him a bunch of times that Zeus wasn\u2019t going to bite him.\u201d Zeus was a German Shepherd\/Belgian Malinois cross born in Slovenia and purchased by the police department from Castle K9 in Pennsylvania in 2010. From there, Zeus and his previous handler Sgt.Scott Robertson went on to train and obtain dual purpose certifications in patrol, narcotics, building searches and area searches. Police K-9 teams add an extra level of safety for officers and are a force multiplier in their ability to cover significant ground in a fraction of the time it takes officers to ensure an area is safe, said Glenwood Springs Police Chief Joseph Deras, who also was a K-9 handler earlier in his career. Zeus officially retired on April 22 after injuring his back at the end of a shift and passed away peacefully in his sleep the night of May 5. He loved and lived to work, with a drive second to none and he continued to serve his community up until a month before his retirement. Zeus\u2019s lengthy career ended on a high note after he assisted in apprehending an armed domestic violence suspect near the Glenwood Green Apartments. The previously convicted and violent felon was threatening to kill his significant other by displaying two knives and threatening suicide by cop after a search\/track with other officers. After the knives were dropped Zeus was sent in to subdue the suspect so officers could safely arrest him. \u201cHe had a great career and we ended it on a high note,\u201d Gobbo said. Gobbo worked alongside Robertson from the time Zeus joined the department by being a decoy and helping with training sessions. In 2017, Gobbo began training with Zeus as a handler and took part in an in-house training academy put together by Robertson. \u201cHe (Robertson) knew Zeus, so there was some value in that because every dog is different and the handler knows what\u2019s best for the dog,\u201d Gobbo said. \u201cZeus and I had to develop our own trust and relationship.\u201d After becoming Zeus\u2019 handler Gobbo made it a daily task to build a bond by spending time with Zeus in his kennel and during feeding while at home. They also had to develop a strong relationship and understanding to be able to work alongside each other. \u201cBeing a handler is a significant responsibility. It impacts your personal life as you have to care for the K-9 while off duty,\u201d Deras said. \u201cWhen the bond is established, the handler will become able to read the K-9\u2019s body language and behavior. The dog will communicate to the handler when they alert to the presence of a suspect who is concealed or where narcotics may be present. The handler will develop the ability to read that and respond.\u201d The longer the two worked together the more Gobbo realized working with a K-9 is a team effort and he has to be able to read Zeus and lead him. \u201cWhen I was first working him, I\u2019d just be behind the leash and put it all on the dog,\u201d Gobbo said. \u201cI later realized it was a team effort. If we were looking for drugs, I needed to remember where he\u2019s looked and where he hasn\u2019t looked. Or if we are on a track I need to be able to read his behavior.\u201d Zeus was certified in narcotics until 2019 when Colorado law enforcement agencies began reassessing their use of drug dogs after the legalization of marijuana in 2012. Because Zeus was trained in detecting marijuana before it was legalized in Colorado, the department decided not to continue using him as a drug dog. Despite this change, Zeus was an important asset to the department when it came to finding and apprehending suspects. He was deployed over 220 times and assisted in the arrest of around 100 suspects during his 11 years on the job. His first deployment was a building search and apprehension on April 23, 2010 \u2014 not long after he started with the police department. \u201cThey are a great locating tool and on a patrol standpoint you are sending a dog in instead of officers to find bad guys,\u201d Gobbo said. In 2019, a suspect with multiple warrants for assault on a peace officer and felony menacing was hiding in an upstairs closet under a blanket. Zeus was deployed into the house to find him. \u201cWe knew he was in the house but weren\u2019t sure where. Zeus went in and found him in the closet with a blanket over him, he bit him and assisted with dragging him out of the closet and we arrested him,\u201d Gobbo said. The apprehension would go on to be awarded the Colorado Police Canine Association patrol case of the year. The CPCA board selected Zeus and Gobbo\u2019s apprehension out of a batch of cases taken from across the state. Finding and locating a suspect or drugs for working K-9s is all about the reward \u2014, it\u2019s a game to them. They love to work and have a drive that makes them want to do it. They are all about that reward which is finding the bad guy or finding drugs and in return getting rewarded with lots of pets and praise Gobbo mentioned. \u201cWhen they bite somebody it\u2019s not like they don\u2019t like them or they are vicious, that\u2019s just their reward. They\u2019re just playing and that\u2019s what they enjoy doing,\u201d Gobbo said. \u201cThey just get enjoyment out of working, getting the reward and pleasing their handler.\u201d The police department plans to begin the process of selecting a new K-9 team in the coming months with the long-term hope of having two teams on the staff within the coming years. Getting a new dog is not an overnight process and can cost a department a significant amount of money. Handlers usually spend time with a group of dogs to determine which dog they like and bond with. Once a dog is selected there is a long period of training and certifications before the dog is ready to start working. \u201cI really want to start a police foundation and through that and their events, we would receive donations to the K-9 program which would supplant the department budget in order to purchase ballistic vests, additional training, etc.,\u201d Deras Said. After Zeus retired he was able to spend his last days enjoying life relaxing on the couch and doing regular dog things like watching the Kentucky Derby with the Gobbo family. \u201cSeeing my oldest daughter fall in love with him, talk to him and him sitting there while she petted him and loved on him,\u201d Gobbo said. \u201cAnd for his short time retired I have some good memories of him just being a family pet and spending time with him inside just watching TV, eating dinner, relaxing and chilling out.\u201d Gobbo is still getting used to going to work without his work partner and buddy. \u201cI\u2019m going to miss the close relationship and the partnership. Everyday having him in the back with me and hearing him barking,\u201d Gobbo said. \u201cIt\u2019s awesome to find drugs and bad guys to see that he is a great tool and does great work but the coolest thing is just that everyday partnership. Coming into work and having your buddy there. Obviously, I\u2019m getting a little emotional\u2026 we\u2019ve done some awesome things together and he\u2019s kicked butt.\u201d \u201cThe relationship is so strong and our lives are often at stake, the K-9 is treated, in many ways, like a human as far as their place with the family,\u201d Deras said. \u201cWhen the K-9 needs to be put down or passes away it is very, very emotional for the entire family.\u201d Zeus will be remembered for his commitment to serving his community and his complete love for the job. \u201cSome of my best memories at work are us just patrolling around and me talking to him while he spun around in his kennel super excited to get out and work,\u201d Gobbo said. \u201cZeus would constantly bark in excitement especially when the vehicle would shift into drive or into park and howl\/bark in excitement when the lights or siren would go on because he knew we were getting ready to kick butt.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died 5\/5\/21 1st Handler – Sgt.Scott Robertson 2nd Handler – Officer Blake Gobbo It was a chilly early afternoon in the spring of 2018 when an armed suspect fled from officers as they attempted to arrest him outside the library in downtown Glenwood Springs. The suspect, who was wanted on several burglary and theft charges, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10623,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[34],"class_list":["post-10621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-co"],"yoast_head":"\n