Died – 6\/10\/19
\nHandler – Deputy Thomas Dula<\/p>\n
Beloved Washington County K-9, Blitz, dies<\/p>\n
Apprehending fugitives with outstanding warrants may sound intimidating, but it was all in a day\u2019s work for Blitz, a Belgian malinois who served for several years as a K-9 with the Washington County Sheriff\u2019s Office. His handler, Deputy Thomas Dula, often rewarded him with vanilla ice cream cones. Dula is now looking back on cherished memories with Blitz after the retired K-9 died early Monday of what was believed to be liver cancer. According to Dula, Blitz was diagnosed last Wednesday. \u201cBlitz was a remarkable dog,\u201d Dula said in an email. \u201cI\u2019m sure everyone would say that about their dogs but it takes a little something extra to be a police dog.\u201d In order to become a K-9, dogs are tested for, among other things, their courage and \u201cprey drive\u201d \u2014 their confidence in chasing someone down, Dula said. \u201cThey have to be in great shape physically of course, but more than anything else they have to have heart,\u201d Dula said. \u201cBlitz was no exception.\u201d Blitz, who was 13, joined the Sheriff\u2019s Office when he was 2 years old. Over the course of his eight-year career, Dula said the K-9\u2019s duties included detecting narcotics and apprehending criminals. Blitz also worked with the U.S. Marshals fugitive task force. Dula, who was previously a deputy at the Sheriff\u2019s Office and is now a police officer with the Bristol Virginia Police Department, worked alongside Blitz between 2011 and 2015. \u201cHe was responsible for the apprehension of numerous wanted subjects as well as the seizure of a large amount of cash and narcotics, which would otherwise have been on the streets of our communities,\u201d Dula said. Blitz \u201cperformed a very valuable service to our agency,\u201d Washington County Sheriff Fred Newman said. When the K-9 retired in May 2015, Dula adopted him. \u201cTo be a K-9 handler, you\u2019ve got to have a certain demeanor, relate to the dog,\u201d Newman said. \u201cTom was an excellent handler with Blitz.\u201d Reflecting on the dog\u2019s retirement, Dula said his beloved companion enjoyed chasing tennis balls, games of tug-of-war and resting in the sun. \u201cWe had a bond that very few people will ever understand,\u201d Dula said. \u201cOnly those that have walked in our shoes, or paws in his case, can comprehend the kind of partnership that we had.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died – 6\/10\/19 Handler – Deputy Thomas Dula Beloved Washington County K-9, Blitz, dies Apprehending fugitives with outstanding warrants may sound intimidating, but it was all in a day\u2019s work for Blitz, a Belgian malinois who served for several years as a K-9 with the Washington County Sheriff\u2019s Office. His handler, Deputy Thomas Dula, often …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7109,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-7107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-va"],"yoast_head":"\n