Died – 5\/6\/18
\nHandler – Officer Ian Durkee<\/p>\n
Mill Creek police dog dies after four years of service <\/p>\n
The city\u2019s police department is finding its footing after one of its own died Sunday. He leaves behind a lasting legacy and a leash. Rasko, Mill Creek\u2019s trailblazing police service dog, was euthanized after health complications arose because of suspected tumors on his heart. Officer Ian Durkee, his handler, said he first noticed the dog\u2019s elevated heart rate, breathing difficulties and distended abdomen in February. A veterinarian discovered fluid buildup around the dog\u2019s heart. A trip to the Washington State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Pullman for surgery also found what looked like tumors on the heart, a sign of cancer. The dog was retired in March and put into Durkee\u2019s ownership, almost a year earlier than originally planned before the medical evaluations. Durkee said the best estimate for Rasko\u2019s remaining life was six months, and the dog spent his retired days at his home, playing catch and lounging in the grass. Rasko\u2019s health deteriorated Sunday, when Durkee said a veterinarian told him Rasko was not getting enough oxygen. \u201cIt\u2019s certainly really sad and tough to deal with, but we got that bit of extra time,\u201d Durkee said. Rasko was the first service animal in the city\u2019s history when he was commissioned in 2013. Over the years, the purebred German shepherd had 130 deployments and 32 arrests as a highly trained tracking dog. Mill Creek Police Chief Greg Elwin said the wet conditions of the area can make finding scents difficult. Factor in the time between when a suspect was last seen and a tracking dog arrives on scene, and the task is even more challenging. Police service dogs are expected to capture their targets about one-third of the time. \u201cThat\u2019s a very good career,\u201d Elwin said. \u201cThat\u2019s a good amount of deployments. What gets lost in those numbers is what those deployments are.\u201d As a tracking dog, Rasko looked for people and evidence, helped catch suspects, protected officers and took part in community outreach. In between those flashes of unleashed instinct and honed focus were a lot of little moments between a man and his dog. During downtime on evening patrols, they would train with commands and mock searches. Durkee would bring him into the police station to visit with the other two dozen officers and Elwin. The retirement transition was tough for Rasko, who mostly knew working life, Durkee said. When he would go to his car, Rasko would be right there, ready for the ride and patrol. Since 2013, the two were nearly inseparable. \u201cMaximum a week, if it was vacation where I had to go by myself and he couldn\u2019t go with me,\u201d Durkee said of their rare time apart. \u201cBut there was almost constant interaction going on.\u201d At home with Durkee and his wife, Rasko was a loyal companion. They would play with a ball or favorite toy \u2014 a jealously guarded and well-chewed Kong. That is, unless Rasko wanted you to play. \u201cHe was pretty protective of his toy, he wouldn\u2019t want you to come take it or throw it,\u201d Durkee said. \u201cBut he would put it on an edge or a ledge, and he would shove it off the edge and look at you like, \u2018Are you going to pick it up and throw it now?\u2019 \u201d Although Rasko was the city\u2019s property and Durkee\u2019s partner, the dog was not really a pet. Rasko wasn\u2019t interested in playing with other dogs and needed to be in the right environment to let his guard down, Durkee said. One way Durkee knew Rasko was comfortable with other people was if he\u2019d expose his belly for some scratching and petting. \u201cBut he didn\u2019t show it often,\u201d he said. Rasko came into the picture early in the process of the city launching its police dog team. Durkee initially offered his personal dog for training, but that didn\u2019t pan out. With a limited window to stay in the program and no funds available for another dog, Mill Creek resident Roy Cats donated $10,000 to buy a police service dog. Durkee tried another dog, but that didn\u2019t work either. He was able to trade with the kennel for Rasko, which proved to be the right pairing. \u201cThere\u2019s a deep, deep, deep connection between a handler and his partner,\u201d Chief Elwin said. \u201cThey play together, they fight together, they sweat together. It\u2019s a very close relationship.\u201d Becoming a dog handler in law enforcement was the realization of a childhood dream for Durkee. As a teenager in Gresham, Oregon, he was part of the police department\u2019s Explorer program, \u201cwashing the cars,\u201d and going on ride-alongs. Durkee said he got a clear picture of the career, which further cemented his ambition to join the ranks. Durkee isn\u2019t sure if he\u2019ll be the next handler. He said he would like to give another officer an opportunity like he had with Rasko. Mill Creek expanded to a second police dog team with Officer Nathan Lerma and Bagira, a German shepherd. Doing so was expensive, estimated at about $25,000 for the dog, training and equipment. The second police dog was funded mostly through seized illicit and drug money and forfeited funds from drug cases. Using such funds is common practice for police departments. Bagira, like Rasko, has training in tracking. The suburban city, with a population of about 20,000 people, plans to get the dog trained in drug detection as well. \u201cOur needs have changed, society has changed, the city has grown,\u201d Elwin said. The police department\u2019s plan was to have two teams, one for the day shift and another for evenings. Elwin said he will try to budget for a second police dog in the coming year. Mill Creek has a police dog program \u201cbecause an Durkee took it upon himself to say, \u2018The city could really benefit from this \u2026 \u2019 \u201d Elwin said. \u201cIt was his initiative. He got this whole thing going.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died – 5\/6\/18 Handler – Officer Ian Durkee Mill Creek police dog dies after four years of service The city\u2019s police department is finding its footing after one of its own died Sunday. He leaves behind a lasting legacy and a leash. Rasko, Mill Creek\u2019s trailblazing police service dog, was euthanized after health complications arose …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5087,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[52],"class_list":["post-5084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-wa"],"yoast_head":"\n