Died 7\/19\/15
\nHandler – Sgt. John Fisher<\/p>\n
Officer mourns death of canine partner<\/p>\n
Just how close were Sgt. John Fisher and his canine partner Natz? It took Fisher more than a week to respond to telephone queries from the press seeking comment on the death of his longtime partner. Fisher said Tuesday he wasn\u2019t being intentionally rude or blowing off reporters. It was just too soon to talk about it. Natz, who had worked and lived with Fisher, a patrol sergeant with the City of Burlington Police Department, for nearly 12 years died at Fisher\u2019s Burlington home July 19. \u201cI woke up to get ready for work and he walked over to me and died in my arms,\u201d Fisher said. There was no obvious ailment or other condition that caused his death. However, at 13, Natz was considered elderly for a dog of his breed, German shepherd, according to Fisher. Ironically, Natz had retired from active service less than two months earlier. It was a bittersweet period for both the sergeant and his former partner.After Natz retired June 1, he remained with Fisher and his family. However, each day when Fisher pulled on his blue uniform to head to the police station, Natz would excitedly anticipate the work of another shift. Only now Fisher had to close the door on Natz and leave him behind. Was that difficult? \u201cMore than you\u2019ll ever know,\u201d Fisher said. And when he\u2019d return from his shift Natz would greet him at the door like a good dog. But Fisher could tell his former partner longed for the challenge and familiarity of police work. That period of mourning for both the dog and his handler appears to illustrate the special bond that develops between canine police teams. It\u2019s a bond like few others in life, Fisher said. \u201cHe becomes your partner and closest friend. He gave me the opportunity to do so many different things in police work. \u201cSome people have the wrong impression of a big, ferocious dog,\u201d Fisher continued. \u201cBut you take him home and he\u2019s just part of the family.\u201d Natz, according to Fisher, had the ability to move from work mode to play mode as if turning on and off a switch \u2013 something not all police dogs can do. \u201cHe was a normal pet up until the time I\u2019d get ready to go to work \u2013 then he was all business.\u201d And when he\u2019d return home after a shift it wasn\u2019t unusual for Natz, with tail wagging, to visit the neighbors while they sat on their front porch.However, Fisher said, highly trained dogs like Natz are happiest when they\u2019re working. Handlers do their best to challenge their dogs on a regular basis \u2013 especially when there\u2019s little excitement on the small-town crime beat. In addition to monthly training sessions, Fisher said he would regularly challenge Natz with training exercises \u2013 sometimes by asking a dispatcher to hide mock evidence in the communications room or setting up a staged traffic stop with other officers playing civilian roles. And although it was serious work for all involved, Natz conducted it with the zeal of a kid playing a game of hide-and-seek, Fisher said. \u201cThey teach you to always trust your dog,\u201d he continued. \u201cDogs don\u2019t know how to lie.\u201d To illustrate, Fisher recounted a traffic stop during which Natz indicated the presence of drugs in the dashboard of a car. Police searched the car and came up empty. Natz again indicated drugs and officers again searched with no results. The car was eventually impounded and, after a more thorough search, officers found a stash of marijuana \u2013 right where Natz had indicated. Fisher also said Natz was effective at diffusing tense situations. \u201cWhen you pull at a bar fight on a Friday night, he barks and everyone calms down,\u201d he said. For Fisher, who has been a canine handler for 18 years \u2013 he partnered with Nando for seven years before getting Natz \u2013 it\u2019s time to step away. \u201cI think it\u2019s somebody else\u2019s turn to step in and take over and enjoy the experiences I\u2019ve had,\u201d he said. He said he recommends and hopes the city seeks another canine officer. Mayor Bob Miller said he and Police Chief Mark Anderson will consider all the options before deciding whether to go that route. Miller, a former Racine County Sheriff\u2019s Department administrator, said he believes canine officers are a valuable tool, but are sometimes limited in a small department like Burlington\u2019s. He also said the Sheriff\u2019s Department has multiple dogs that can be used locally under certain circumstances.He said officials will have to decide \u201cwhat can canines offer and how does that fit into our city needs.\u201d
\nFisher said the community largely supported Natz with food donated by local grocery stores and veterinary care provided by Longview Animal Hospital. \u201cThe community cared for him,\u201d he said. But, most of all, Fisher wants other officers to know what it\u2019s like to have a partner that provides you with a sixth sense. \u201cIt\u2019s that kind of bond,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died 7\/19\/15 Handler – Sgt. John Fisher Officer mourns death of canine partner Just how close were Sgt. John Fisher and his canine partner Natz? It took Fisher more than a week to respond to telephone queries from the press seeking comment on the death of his longtime partner. Fisher said Tuesday he wasn\u2019t being …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":341,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[23],"class_list":["post-339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-wi"],"yoast_head":"\n