Died – 6\/5\/18
\nHandler – Cpl\/ Rick Ashabranner<\/p>\n
Two local police K-9s remembered for service<\/p>\n
Within the past week, the Jeffersonville Police Department and the Clark County Sheriff\u2019s Office have faced the death of dogs that had served in their K-9 units. These K-9s helped officers find narcotics, perform searches and apprehend suspects. Yet they were more than just police dogs. For the handlers who served with them, they were like family. Cpl. Rick Ashabranner worked alongside a Dutch shepherd named Ares for about 11 years with Jeffersonville police before the dog\u2019s retirement last year. On Tuesday, the dog was euthanized after struggling with multiple health issues. When Ashabranner first started working with Ares, both he and the dog were new to police work. He had only worked as a policeman in the JPD for a little over a year before he started training with Ares, who was a 5-month-old puppy at the time. They both worked and learned together, Ashabranner said. Ares eventually grew into a 100-pound dog and received the nickname \u201cMarmaduke.\u201d The first years were clumsy \u2014 Ares was like \u201cBambi on ice,\u201d he said, and both of them fell down frequently as they learned to work together. \u201cThere were a lot of ups and lot of downs,\u201d he said. \u201cThere was a lot of getting to know the ways to do it, and picking ourselves up off the ground, figuratively and literally.\u201d The handler and K-9 soon became in sync as they worked as a team. The last six years with Ares were like being on cruise control, Ashabranner said. Ares was a playful dog, Ashabranner said, and although he was down for business, he was less enthusiastic about certain tasks he was commanded to perform, like article search or evidence recovery. However, he loved tracking areas or buildings and physically engaging suspects. Throughout his 11 years of working long hours with Ares, Ashabranner developed a strong connection with the K-9. He felt a sense of calm having him in the back of his car every time he went to work. He knew that the dog would always have his back. For Ashabranner, Ares was like a member of his family. But the relationship between a police dog and its handler is more complicated than that. It is important to always be aware that the dogs are also tools in their police work, Ashabranner said.\u201cYou can\u2019t let the fact that he feels like family override the fact that if I need him to go out in a blaze of glory for something really bad that\u2019s happening, he needs to go out in a blaze of glory to save a life of a citizen or to save the life of a fellow officer or to save my own life,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to hold that distinction.\u201d For Lt. Glenn Jackson, who is JPD\u2019s K-9 commander and trainer, the difference between a police dog and a pet is simple. When they put the dogs in dangerous situations, it is easier if they are not perceived as pets. \u201cAt what point do you ask your pet to put it\u2019s life on the line?\u201d he said. \u201cAt what point are you putting your life on the line through this dog \u2014and\/or the life of someone else? There\u2019s the true difference. I know it hurts for an everyday citizen to put their pet down, but try putting your partner down. There\u2019s a difference between a pet and a partner.\u201d Ares retired from K-9 service last May, and Ashabranner started working with another Dutch shepherd called Vali soon after. It\u2019s been an adjustment to serve with a new dog, he said, especially after working with Ares for so many years. The death of Ares has been painful for Ashabranner. He took a few days off work after he was euthanized, and he decided to take down the dog\u2019s kennel. \u201cSimple little things like backing out of my driveway and seeing his kennel for the past couple days kind of sucked, so that\u2019s why I took them down,\u201d he said. The Clark County Sheriff\u2019s Office also experienced a recent loss of one of their K-9s: a Czech shepherd named Samurai. The K-9, who was euthanized June 2 after a battle with pancreatitis, served in the department for more than two years. During that time, Samurai served alongside his handler, officer Dan Doty, who developed a strong connection with the dog, whom he often called \u201cSammy.\u201d Samurai was a friendly, happy-go-lucky dog who was always excited to go to work, Doty said. As soon as he put on his police uniform or started the car, the K-9 would immediately perk up. \u201cIf you could transition a human expression to his face, he would be smiling,\u201d he said. For Doty, finding Samurai was a stroke of luck. He first met Samurai at an International Police Working Dog Association event in Tennessee. The dog was originally from the Czech Republic, but he was brought to the Sevier County Sheriff\u2019s Office in Tennessee to serve as a K-9. His previous handler left the department, so the dog did not have a partner at the time. When Doty met the dog, they immediately started to bond, so he brought the K-9 to Clark County. As he started working with Samurai, Doty had to learn to use Czech phrases for commands. He spoke an Eastern Kentucky type of Czech, he said. Although Samurai was a working dog rather than a pet, he felt like part of the family, Doty said. It was like they could read each others demeanors and facial expressions. \u201cHe was a great blessing,\u201d Doty said. \u201cHe was really a fantastic dog.\u201d Samurai was only 5 years old when he was put down. He was suffering heavily from pancreatitis, and although he did everything he could to help the dog, it soon became clear to Doty that he was not going to recover. \u201cHe had a strong mind and a strong heart, but his body was going,\u201d he said. Life feels much different without Samurai, Doty said. His house feels empty, and he misses the dog\u2019s presence in the back of his patrol car. \u201cIt\u2019s a huge void for me since he\u2019s not there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died – 6\/5\/18 Handler – Cpl\/ Rick Ashabranner Two local police K-9s remembered for service Within the past week, the Jeffersonville Police Department and the Clark County Sheriff\u2019s Office have faced the death of dogs that had served in their K-9 units. These K-9s helped officers find narcotics, perform searches and apprehend suspects. Yet they …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[25],"class_list":["post-5253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-in"],"yoast_head":"\n