Died \u2013 7\/1\/23
\nHandler \u2013 Sergeant Tim Harris<\/p>\n
Grosse Pointe Farms first K-9 leaves lasting legacy<\/p>\n
When Grosse Pointe Farms K-9 Duke retired last fall, it was hoped that he\u2019d have at least a few years of snoozing on the couch and chasing balls in the yard.Instead, Duke\u2019s handler, Farms Sgt. Tim Harris, is now spending his first set of holidays without his devoted best pal.\u201cI wouldn\u2019t be where I am today without him,\u201d Harris said of the dog who changed his life, leading to his marriage to Farms public safety dispatcher Paige Thomas \u2014 they share a young daughter together \u2014 his promotion to sergeant, and the many close friends he made with others in the K-9 community. \u201cI have these people in my life because of Duke.\u201dDuke and Harris were valiant crimefighters, tracking down dozens of wanted suspects over the years and unearthing hidden contraband such as drugs. But Duke was valued perhaps even more for the intangible impact he had on the world around him.\u201cDuke was a fixture in the community,\u201d Farms Public Safety Director John Hutchins said. \u201cHe was an integral part of the Grosse Pointe Farms Public Safety family. He and Tim made a tremendous difference to a lot of kids in the community. He helped to bridge the gaps between police and the community.\u201dHarris recalled driving around the Pointes on Halloween and getting photos of kids dressed as police officers with Duke. He would also hand out baseball cards with Duke\u2019s photo and interesting facts. Harris and Duke frequently gave demonstrations in parks, classrooms and other venues, where Harris could explain the science behind what Duke was trained to do.Among K-9s \u2014 already some of the smartest and best-trained dogs around \u2014 Duke was exceptional. As a last-minute entry and with only a week to prepare, Duke and Harris received a trophy for third place in criminal apprehension at the United States Police Canine Association Region 19 competition, which took place Aug. 4 to Aug. 8, 2019, in and around Heins Field in Sterling Heights. Only two points separated the first-place winner from the third-place winner.\u201cHe had a near perfect run,\u201d Harris said after the competition.Duke and Harris became local legends for their ability to track suspects, narcotics, guns and the like.\u201cQuite often, Detroit police would ask for Duke and Tim before one of their own dogs \u2014 that\u2019s how good he was,\u201d Hutchins said.Harris said Detroit police called \u201call the time.\u201d And he welcomed that.\u201cThe reason Duke and I were so successful is, I never said no,\u201d Harris said. \u201cI didn\u2019t care about the overtime. \u2026 I wanted us to be good when our community needed us.\u201dAll of those runs in Detroit honed Duke\u2019s skills. Harris said they once searched for a missing child in Davison, and they did searches for bodies.\u201cIt made us really good,\u201d Harris said. \u201cHe found a lot of drugs, a lot of guns, a lot of people.\u201dThey also trained frequently, and with dogs and handlers Harris said were \u201csome of the best in the world,\u201d including members of the U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit, U.S. Army Rangers and the British Special Air Service.While he might have looked fierce, when he wasn\u2019t chasing the bad guys, Duke was a softie who loved all the attention and pets that he got \u2014 and playing with his favorite rubber ball, a reward for a job well done. Harris took him to hospitals multiple times over the years, where he brought smiles and joy to children undergoing treatment.\u201cThe dog made it easier to start up a conversation (with law enforcement),\u201d Hutchins said. \u201cDuke was always super friendly to anyone that walked up to him and loved to be petted. \u2026 He loved to socialize and be around people. He was just so well-mannered and had a great personality and disposition.\u201dHarris said he \u201cgot lucky\u201d with Duke, because his patience and sociability made him ideal for being around people. He even tolerated things like wearing a reindeer nose and antlers for Christmas and sitting in a race car for Racing for Kids to the Hill.\u201cHe was always game for doing some goofy stuff,\u201d Harris recalled with a smile.Harris said the community and his department were extremely supportive of Duke. In fact, he said community support was the reason the Farms was able to launch a K-9 program.In spring 2014, Grosse Pointe Farms businesswoman, philanthropist and dog lover Gretchen Valade \u2014 who died in December 2022 \u2014 offered to purchase a K-9 for the Farms and fund the program; working dogs generally have a working career of about eight to 10 years. Because of Valade\u2019s love of jazz, the Farms\u2019 K-9 was named Duke for jazz great Duke Ellington.Harris was one of seven officers who applied to be the city\u2019s K-9 handler. He selected Duke \u2014 then a 13-month-old pup who had been born in Gerbisbach, Germany, on April 3, 2013, \u2014 on May 4, 2014, from among the other prospective K-9s at Von der haus Gill German Shepherds Inc. in Wapakoneta, Ohio. Harris said St. Clair Shores police officer Chris Periatt \u2014 who was the handler of K-9 Hondo, who died in 2016 \u2014 advised him to pay attention not to the dog\u2019s appearance, but to his nose. With his striking, solid black coat, Duke didn\u2019t look like the standard police dog, but Harris could see he was fast, agile and friendly \u2014 and he knew he needed a social dog in the Pointes.\u201cThis was the most rewarding experience I\u2019ve ever had in my life,\u201d Harris said. \u201cIt changed my whole life. \u2026 I can\u2019t thank the community enough. \u2026 Being able to have an impact on people\u2019s lives with him \u2014 that\u2019s because of the community.\u201dThe bond between K-9 and handler is a powerful one.\u201cHe was with Duke night and day,\u201d Hutchins said. \u201cIt was more than just having a pet \u2014 they were work partners. \u2026 They were together more than most spouses are.\u201dHarris \u2014 who has two older sons from his first marriage \u2014 can attest to the closeness of his relationship with Duke.\u201cHe was my whole world,\u201d Harris said. \u201cHe was with me more than anybody else. He wasn\u2019t just my pet. I saw him more than my kids.\u201dHarris is now in charge of the Farms\u2019 K-9 program. Officer Richard Rosati and his K-9, Rocco, took over for Duke when he retired in 2022.Duke was just over 10 years old when he died on July 1. He had been at the Farms Public Safety Department office that morning \u2014 Harris usually brought him in when he was working because everyone liked seeing Duke, who would hang around the office while Harris was on patrol. Aside from sleeping more, Harris said Duke hadn\u2019t shown any signs of ill health, so it was a shock when he died suddenly at home. Duke is now buried at Harris\u2019 cottage in West Branch. He was supposed to be the ring bearer at the wedding of Harris and Thomas in August. The couple set up a memorial chair at their wedding instead for the dog who brought them together when Thomas was working in Grosse Pointe Park and Duke ambled up to her one day while Harris was at the Park\u2019s Public Safety Department.\u201cIt really did change my life forever,\u201d Harris said. \u201cI wish I could go back and start it all again. I wouldn\u2019t change a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died \u2013 7\/1\/23 Handler \u2013 Sergeant Tim Harris Grosse Pointe Farms first K-9 leaves lasting legacy When Grosse Pointe Farms K-9 Duke retired last fall, it was hoped that he\u2019d have at least a few years of snoozing on the couch and chasing balls in the yard.Instead, Duke\u2019s handler, Farms Sgt. Tim Harris, is now …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15346,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[8],"class_list":["post-15344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-mi"],"yoast_head":"\n