In Loving Memory of
K-9 DUTCH
2004
Pawnee County Sheriff's Department
Oklahoma
Dogs dying in hot
police vehicles may be tragic, but it is not rare.
In June, Dutch, a 7-year-old Belgian Malinois, died after
the air conditioner failed in a Pawnee County sheriff's
lieutenant's car in Oklahoma. The dog was in the car for
less than an hour.
ubmitted by Jim Cortinia, Dir. CPWDA
In Loving Memory of
K-9 DONNER
April 27, 2004
SAR
Partner:
Louie Villa
Sonoran Search & Rescue
Maricopa, AZ
ph: 602-550-7230
My name is Louie Villa and I came across your website a few
months ago and signed your Guest Book. I was interested in some
of your products that were available as I was retiring my
partner Donner and was looking to the distant future when he
would ultimately leave us. Unfortunately that day came a lot
sooner than I would have ever imagined. My partner, Donner, was
put to rest yesterday, Tuesday April 27th. Donner was a very
special dog, and will be greatly missed.
In
July 1995, Donner became one of the first Arizona based SAR dogs
to make a find when he found an 89 year old woman on the Tohono
O'Odham Indian Nation. Donner participated in many searches
within Pinal County and the State of Arizona. His easy going
manner and friendly nature made him an excellent representative
of the Pinal County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team. Donner
made numerous trips to schools, nursing homes and PR functions
as an ambassador for the Pinal County Sheriff's Office and was
always the hit of the presentation. People say that a good dog
will always make a marginal handler look good, and that's what
Donner did for me. He taught me much more than I could have
ever taught him.
Donner
was my first search dog and the first dog that I ever had a
real one-to one relationship with. I was extremely blessed
to have been partnered with such an talented dog. Donner
was my best friend and constant companion. Donner, when the
pager goes off and it is time to go look for another lost
individual, I will always find comfort in knowing that you
are there watching over Blitzen and I. Good bye Buddy.
Thank you for being such a big part of my life.
************
Lulu
thank you very much for the service you provide and for
the compassion you have shown me over these past few
weeks. You have helped ease the pain I was feeling with
Donner's passing. I have been extremely blessed in
meeting you.
I hope that one day I will be able to tell you this in
person.
THANK YOU and God
Bless.
P.S. I never imagined that I would ever have such a
strong relationship with a dog or other animal.
Before my wife and I became canine handlers, my
view was, dogs were pets and that we would outlive
them. Whenever I put down one of our earlier pets I
grieved for a day or two and got over it. This
experience with Donner has really brought home how
extremely close we really are to our
pets. Especially the ones that we train and work
with day-in and day-out.
My
kids are also grown-up and out of the house. So our
dogs are now our kids. Since laying Donner to rest,
I find myself giving each one a big hug every time
they are within reach. They are probably thinking
'Hey, what the heck's got into dad?'.
One
thing that has happened that I think is really neat,
is our Yellow Lab, Sid has suddenly begun to do some
things that Donner used to do.
Sid never used to bark when I would come home, now
he does. This was something that drove my wife
batty about Donner. Donner used to sit at the fence
and he had a really neat Welcome Home bark. Sid has
begun doing that. Also Sid has begun to run his
body between my legs for a body massage. Just like
Donner used to do. He even has the same satisfied
look on his face and licks me in the same manner
that Donner did, when I massage down his spine and
just above his tail. Sid never did any of these
things prior to Donner's death. I think this is
Donner's way of letting me know everything is okay
and that he's still around watching over us.
In Loving Memory of
K-9 DINO
April 7, 2004
Partner:
Officer Mike Leming
505 Commonwealth Ave
Erlanger, Kentucky 41018
(859)727-2424
Erlanger to honor
memory of city's first police dog
By Shelly Whitehead Post staff reporter
For Erlanger police, he was the first -- and one
of the best. And Thursday his fellow officers will
memorialize, Dino, the city's first police canine.
The affable 10-year-old German
shepherd, who served the city from 1995 to 2003,
died of old-age ailments on April 7. He retired
from active duty last summer, but will be remembered
by the two-legged peacekeepers he worked with as a
prolific drug dog with a big heart. During his eight
years with the Erlanger Police Department, Dino's
special expertise was put to use 2,710 times, and he
was involved in 226 drug and other criminal
apprehensions. One of Dino's most memorable
performances occurred toward the end of his career
on a cold February night in 2002. It was raining and
dark, and a distraught woman who had earlier
considered suicide wandered into a thick wooded area
near Interstates 75 and 275 in Erlanger. She called
police from her dying cell phone, not knowing where
she was but desperate for help.Helicopters and
humans tried to find her in the darkness, but
ultimately it was Dino who managed to track her
down. Dino's handler, Officer Mike Leming, said at
the time that as the dog approached the woman in the
damp darkness, he found her rolled up in a ball and
unresponsive, still clutching her dead cell phone.
"He just stood there wagging his tail because he
realized he'd found somebody and he did a good job,"
Leming recalled.Dino's productivity convinced city
leaders of the value of a police dog, and today
Erlanger has two: Arco and Sombie.At noon Thursday,
Erlanger officers will memorialize Dino at a brief
ceremony in council chambers. The service will
include the elements afforded human officers,
including a folded flag to be placed with Dino's
picture in the Erlanger police training room.
submitted by Jim
Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
In
Loving Memory of
K-9 DIGGER
March 11, 2004
Partner: Undersheriff Jon
Dearmore
Wahkiakum County
Sheriff's Office
64 Main Street
Cathlamet, WA 98612
(360) 795-3242
FAX (360) 795-3145
WCSO narcotics canine (K-9) Digger was trained
by Master trainer Diane Owsley, who has Diane's
Barking Lot, Dogs for Law Enforcement in Seaside
Oregon. Ms. Owsley has trained dogs for 20 plus
years. Ms. Owsley started training Digger on
January 9, 1996 at the Pro- Trainer Program at
the Canine Academy Training Center in Leander
Texas. Ms. Owsley trained with Digger for six
weeks and completed the course and was
certified. While at the Canine Academy Digger
had 110 finds and 8 misses. Ms .Owsley also has
trained with and is an associate member of the
Oregon Police Canine Association (OPCA) ,a
certifier for Drug Beat National Canine
Certification Association, and has worked with
many police and sheriff's departments, and is
DEA certified. In late 1996 and early 1997 I
started training with Ms. Owsley and Digger. On
April 27, 1997. I was certified by Ms. Oswley
and passed standards from Oregon Police Canine
Association and the Washington Administrative
Code (WAC) 139-05-915 requirements of Training
for Police Dog Handler, 180 hours for general
detection, as well as standards from the
Washington State Canine Association. Digger is
trained to find the "odor of controlled
substances" on four different narcotics,
marijuana (planted and processed), cocaine,
heroin and methamphetamines. Digger and I have
worked as a team together for five plus years
and logged hundreds of hours in training and
actual searching.
Digger and I
belong to the Washington State
Police Canine
Association (WSPCA) and Dogs Against Drugs/Dogs
Against Crime (DAD/DAC). We have worked with
CCSO/WCSO Drug Task Force, Longview Police
Department, Pacific County Sheriff's Office,
South Bend Police Department, Washington State
Patrol, Naselle youth Camp Naselle School
District, Wahkiakum School District, Warrenton
Police Department (Oregon), and Tongue Point Job
Corp (Oregon).
We have
45 plus documented cases were controlled
substances have been found, or where drugs and
paraphernalia were found. We have found and
documented approximately $11,000.00 in currency
on several searches that were related to drug
possession and or sales.
Digger and I train approximately two days a week
were he is working a rate of 95 percent or
higher in finds verse misses, see training log.
**************
Officers mourn K-9 companion
By
Lisa Curdy
Wearing a
black band of mourning over their badges,
Wahkiakum County sheriff's deputies are
remembering a fallen comrade whose antics
included patiently waiting for food morsels and
opening doors. Digger, a nearly 10-year-old
Labrador and boxer mix, worked as the county's
narcotics dog from 1997 until he was euthanized
Thursday following a brief but severe viral
infection.
"I often joked that he was a person trapped in a
dog's body," said Digger's K-9 handler,
Undersheriff Jon Dearmore, from his Naselle home
Friday. "He was as close to a human as you can
get." The bond between officer and K-9 is
stronger than most animal-human relationships,
because they're together 24 hours a day, every
day, Dearmore said. "I'm just a wreck," the
41-year-old said. "It's like losing a family
member. I'll get through it, but I miss him like
all get out." Dearmore met his
canine companion in 1996, after he began looking
into getting a K-9 for the department. The
then road deputy "instantly fell in love" with
the 8-month old pooch when they were introduced
at the Barking Lot training facility near
Seaside, OR."It was an instant bond, like
electricity," the undersheriff said. Digger,
who'd been an abused dog, was rescued and put
into an Oregon Humane Society shelter, where
master trainer Diane Owsley rescued him.The
mixed-breed pup had been slated for
euthanasia. Digger and Dearmore trained
together every day and on weekends to fulfill
their narcotics certification, Dearmore said.
Until they were certified, "I had to leave him
there every night, and it just killed me," he
said. During his eight-year career with the
department, Digger helped several police
agencies locate about $350,000 of street-value
narcotics, as well as about $12,000 in cash,
Dearmore said. An "aggressive indication dog,"
Digger fulfilled his name and dug into whatever
surface he was on when he smelled any variety of
dope.
A DARE
officer for eight years, Dearmore took his furry
partner to schools with him. "But if I didn't
come to school with Digger, I wasn't welcome,"
he joked. "This guy was an absolute magnet. He
loves people, but he loves kids dramatically
more. You could see his demeanor change from
happy to ultra-happy." The K-9 also helped
calm people following a domestic violence
incident or car wrecks, he said.
Dearmore estimated that Digger was the recipient
of more than 5 million pets in his lifetime.
The 80-pound pooch was part of the family --- he
slept in bed with Dearmore and his wife, or in
their daughter's room. The usually frisky and
upbeat Digger became lethargic about four weeks
ago. Veterinarians performed surgery, gave
medication therapy and administered numerous
tests. The K-9 was suffering from anemia, which
is when the red blood cell count declines below
normal. It was caused by a viral immune-system
deficiency. "The doctors chalked it up to
eight years of sniffing drugs, being in and out
of dirty cars and houses," Dearmore said. "The
nature of his job played into." Digger was
still heading to work with Dearmore until last
week when he wouldn't get out of the car on a
call. Thursday morning, doctors gave Dearmore
two options: surgery or euthanasia.
"He's had a second chance at life," Dearmore
said he reasoned with himself that morning. "I
am not going to let him suffer." He pulled his
daughter out of school and called his wife.
Digger's human companions drove to the Oregon
animal clinic where he was being
treated. "He
walked into the room and wagged his tail, which
was amazing. His happy meter went off one more
time." Dearmore's long-time partner looked at
him with "these big soft eyes," and everyone
"prayed and cried on him," he said. "He was
ready. His eyes told me so." Digger will be
cremated, the undersheriff said. He's still
having a hard time believing his friend is
gone. "I'd roll lights and siren, and he'd
hunker down," Dearmore said. "A lot of cops
smoke after critical incidents, but I'd talk to
Digger. He was the most incredible dog you've
ever seen in your life. A super neat guy."
Paying
tribute to Digger
A memorial service is being planned for
Wahkiakum County Sheriff's Office K-9 officer
Digger. Meantime, donations are being accepted
at The Bank of the Pacific and Bank of America
for a Cowlitz County Humane Society remembrance
kennel. The animal in Digger's memorial kennel
won't be euthanized and will stay there until
they're adopted.
In Loving
Memory of
K-9 DAMON
1998-February 21,2004
Partner:
Officer Martin Gilliland
Kent City Police
319 S. Water Street
Kent, OH 44240
330-673-7732 -
330-673-3221
supervisor, Capt. James
Goodlet
Chris Conery of
the Memorial Animal hospital is attempting to raise
funds to purchase another K9 for Officer Gilliland. See
below for address to send donations:
K-9 Damon
Handler: Officer Martin
Gilliland, Kent Police Department
c/o Cris Conery-Memorial
Animal Hospital,
2222 SR 59
Kent, OH 44240
330-678-2770
Personal email:
coneryranch@aol.com
K-9 Damon died
from a fast growing cancer. He was still on duty almost
to the end.
submitted by Joan Russell
|
In Loving Memory of
K-9 DAKOTA
September 4, 2004
Partner: Officer David Longbehn
St.
Paul Police Department
367 Grove Street
Saint Paul, MN 55101
651 292.3773
(reg calls) 651 291.1111
St. Paul Police K-9 Dies Unexpectedly
A St. Paul Police
K-9, named Dakota, died unexpectedly Saturday
morning. Dakota was a four-year-old German Shepard
that served two years as the K-9 partner of St. Paul
police officer David Longbehn. Dakota had a
distinguished record of service and was certified as
both a patrol service canine and narcotics detection
dog. Officer Longbehn volunteered to put on a police
K-9 demonstration with Dakota at the Minnesota State
Fair last Friday in front of a large crowd. Longbehn
found Dakota dead in his kennel early the following
morning. An autopsy by a University of Minnesota
veterinarian revealed that the dog died as a result
of a rare intestinal complication. “While police
K-9’s are tools whose sense of smell and agility
serve as a great resource, the bond that exists
between dog and handler is incredible,” Sergeant
Paul Rhodes, a veteran K-9 handler and unit
supervisor said. “The officers and their partners do
more than just ride together, they respond to some
of the most intense and dangerous situations
encountered in all of policing,” he added. St. Paul
Police K-9’s belong to the City of St. Paul. The
dogs reside with the handlers and their families.
They are purchased for the city with funds donated
to the non-profit St. Paul Police Canine Foundation,
which helps support all aspects of the department’s
nationally recognized program. “As a department, we
will feel the loss of Dakota,” St. Paul Police Chief
John Harrington said. “Officer Longbehn and Dakota
were a successful team and had a great working
relationship. On a personal note, knowing that
Dakota lived with and was cared for by Dave and his
entire family, I cannot help but feel for them at
this time,” he added.
submitted
by Dusty Simon amd
submitted by Jim Cortina,
Dir. CPWDA
In Loving Memory of
K-9 DEZO
September 9, 2004
Partner:
Phil Andryshak
Surfside Police Department
811 Pine Drive
Surfside Beach, SC 29575
843.913.6348
The
memorial service is Monday, Sept. 13 at 2 p.m.
Public is
invited.
A
local music show, Legends, 301 Hwy. 17 South, Surfside
Beach, SC, has donated the use of their auditorium and
singers for the memorial service. Working dogs from
several states will attend. The police chaplain will be
taking part in the service also. Dezo will be buried at
Hillcrest Cemetery in Conway, SC. There will be TV,
radio and newspapers covering the event. You could check
www.myrtlebeachherald.com &
www.myrtlebeachonline.com
.the Krauses will be with you Mon. in spirit.
|
By Tom O'Dare - The Herald
Surfside Beach-Sgt. Phil Andryshak of
the Surfside Beach Public Safety Department
and his partner have been fighting crime
together for over six years. Together,
they've tracked down criminals and helped
nab over $500,000 in illegal drugs. But now
his partner, Dezo, has come across a foe he
just can't beat. The trained dog has been
diagnosed with inoperable cancer and has
been given a prognosis of just a matter of
days. Doctors have removed a fourteen pound
tumor from the dog's stomach, but others
have started growing back.
Andryshak has worked with Dezo, a dog
trained to find criminals, weapons and
drugs, since before he came to work with the
Surfside Beach department. When the
department hired Andryshak, it got quite a
bargain, said public safety director Clyde
Merryman. Already trained to work with
Andryshak, Dezo came to the Surfside Beach
department at no cost. Merryman said
starting a K-9 program with the costs of
buying and training the dog could cost a
department thousands of dollars.
Since joining the Surfside Beach force,
Andryshak and Dezo have been involved in a
variety of cases. At a special recognition
before the Surfside Beach town council in
May, Merryman told of a situation in which
Dezo found a gun that had been hidden in a
tree trunk.
"This gun could just have easily been
found by an unsuspecting child with
disastrous consequences," Merryman said. "Dezo
went right to it." In addition to his
criminal tracking prowess, Dezo has won
numerous awards at competitions throughout
South Carolina and the Southeast, placing
among the best in every contest he was
entered. Dezo has become a welcome sight
throughout the community, especially to
school children, added Merryman. "Phil told
me Dezo seemed to be feeling bad and he.
Posted on
Thursday, Sep. 02, 2004
Saying goodbye to a best friend
By
Joyce
Armor - For The Sun News
One of the Surfside Beach Police
Department's most decorated public safety
officers has retired, but he doesn't know it
yet.
Dezo, a 7-year-old, long-haired German
shepherd, came to the U.S. from the Czech
Republic when he was a year old. His
handler, Sgt. Phil Andryshak, remembers the
first time he saw the dog. "He was so full
of energy, so motivated, and he was having a
bad hair day. His hair was everywhere, and
he had these hairs that crossed on top of
his head that made him look like a devil
dog," he said.
A native of Orange County, N.Y., Andryshak
chose Dezo over four other dogs, despite
concerns that he might be too much dog to
handle, and they went through the six-week
narcotic detection academy at the Orange
County Sheriff's Department, graduating
first in their class. Andryshak purchased
Dezo for $2,500 because he knew it would be
too hard to say good-bye to him if either of
them got reassigned. Dezo became a
nationally certified police dog in November
1998. He attended a 12-week patrol academy
in Broward County, FL, the following year
and worked with his handler for the Atlantic
Beach Police Department before joining the
Surfside Beach Police Department in 2003.
"He's always been good at everything he ever
did," Andryshak said. "He learned quickly
and proficiently." Dezo is the only
dual-purpose (narcotics and patrol) police
dog in Horry County, Andryshak said. In his
six years of duty, the canine's narcotics
detection has resulted in more than 100
arrests and the seizure of more than half a
million dollars in narcotics. He's a great
police dog and a wonderful companion,
Andryshak said. "He's been my best friend,
my roommate and my partner since the day I
got him." Surfside Beach Police Chief Clyde
Merryman has known Andryshak and Dezo for
several years. "They're like one in my
mind," he said. "You don't see Phil without
Dezo, and you don't see Dezo without Phil."
Merryman had never seen Dezo work, and with
Surfside Beach's community-friendly policing
policy, the last thing he wanted was a
growling, snarling dog on staff. "Phil kept
assuring me that Dezo was great with kids,
and it's true," Merryman said. "It's like
flipping a switch. He can go from being so
friendly to on-point at one command from
Phil." Dezo has assisted in tracking dozens
of fleeing suspects and has located several
firearms during evidence searches. About six
weeks ago shots were fired on Ocean
Boulevard in Surfside Beach. Several
suspects fled the scene on foot, and the K-9
unit was brought in. Dezo tracked a
suspect's scent to a house several blocks
away and circled a palm tree, then pulled a
loaded semi-automatic pistol from the
bark. "It could have been catastrophic if
kids had found the pistol," Andryshak said.
Lots of kids know and love Dezo, who has
been to schools, churches and public events
for K-9 demonstrations on agility and
narcotics detection. The dog's talent,
dedication and skills have garnered numerous
awards. Dezo and his handler were named
First Place K-9 Team for the State of South
Carolina in May 2004, and Dezo has been
named one of the Top 20 police dogs in the
nation. Andryshak and Dezo were getting
ready to do some training for the nationals,
Aug. 1 when the dog became lethargic. The
handler took him to Murrells Inlet
Veterinary Hospital where Dr. Bruce Crull
discovered an aggressive cancer that caused
a basketball-size tumor on Dezo's spleen.
The 14½ pound tumor was removed Aug. 3.
Three days later, Andryshak learned the
tumor was malignant and Dezo's condition was
terminal.
"By that time, Dezo wanted to go back to
work," Crull said. "He never stops working.
He hears something, and he's on it. He's an
amazing dog who has performed a great
service to the community." Andryshak was
not about to give up on his partner without
a fight. He waited 10 days for Dezo to
recover from surgery and then drove him to a
specialist in Charleston for chemotherapy.
By the time they arrived, a 1 lb. tumor had
already grown back, and doctors told him the
cancer was too aggressive to beat. By August
30, the tumor was again the size of a
football. Dezo probably has only days to
live. He still goes everywhere with
Andryshak. He has been trained not to accept
any people food, but now that the end is
near, he's had a few Chicken McNuggets. "At
first he wouldn't take them. I had to talk
him into it," Andryshak said. "I've been
blessed with two things in law enforcement:
being in the K-9 unit and having Dezo as my
partner. He's always been there for me, and
I'm going to be there for him until the
end." When the inevitable happens, Dezo
will be buried at Hillcrest Cemetery in
Conway after a full police service with
honors. K-9 units from area departments are
expected to attend.
submitted
by
Lindsey
&
Joyce
************
The Service
- 9/13/04
We have gathered together today to honor the
memory of K-9 Officer Dezo. We have come to
pay tribute to his service and to remember
his contribution to law enforcement. We are
also gathered here today to say thank you to
all of you who serve and protect the
public. I have been a Baptist minister for
nearly 20 years. A couple of months ago I
began working as a Family Services Counselor
at Hillcrest Cemetery where Dezo will be
laid to rest later today. Several days ago
my manager, J.W. Russ, received a call from
a female officer explaining Dezo’s
circumstances and asking about space in our
pet cemetery. As the conversation
progressed, the officer asked J.W. about a
service to honor Dezo’s service. She asked
if J.W. knew a minister who would be willing
to conduct a service for Dezo. He told the
officer that he had a minister on staff at
Hillcrest who just might be willing to help.
J.W. knew I love animals. He told her I had
three horses, a billy goat, five hermit
crabs, a cat, a wife, and two children. He
assured her I would be willing to help.
When J.W. hung up the phone, he asked me if
I would be willing to help with the service
for a dog. I told him that conducting a
service for a dog would be an insult to my
ordination and how dare he even ask. He
asked if I thought the Presbyterian minister
would have any trouble performing the
service. I told him that I was certain a
Presbyterian preacher would perform a dog’s
funeral. When J.W. asked me if I thought
$500 was an appropriate honorarium, I just
asked him one question, “Why didn’t you tell
me Dezo was Baptist?” I began to gain
experience in ministry and in cemetery work
at a very early age. As a young boy, I would
bury my hunting dogs and other pets when
they died. I would dig the grave, say a
prayer, quote some scripture, sing Amazing
Grace, and cry a little bit. I am
experienced with dog funerals. Today,
however, we are having much more than a “dog
funeral”. Today we are remembering a fallen
officer and a friend. You have already heard
stories and seen video describing Dezo’s
accomplishments and abilities. As Phil and I
talked a few days ago, he told me a story
about Dezo’s training very early in their
relationship. In fact, it was so early in
their relationship that Phil’s patrol car
had not yet been fitted with a K-9 kennel in
the back seat. After working with Dezo, the
trainer asked Phil to put Dezo in the car
while he worked with another dog. After a
few minutes, the trainer realized there was
a problem and suggested that Phil go get
Dezo. Phil said that when he looked up at
his car it was rocking. When his eyes
connected with Dezo’s, the car stopped
rocking. Phil said he could see the white
foam from his headliner falling like snow on
Dezo. Dezo always wanted to be in on the
action. At our first meeting, Phil gave me
Dezo’s profile which listed all of Dezo’s
accomplishments you have heard about today.
When he finally got to the end of the list,
I asked Phil, “Why wasn’t Dezo a member of
the union?” That list sounded like much more
than any one team should have accomplished.
Phil and Dezo went everywhere together. One
person tried to tell me that you rarely saw
them apart. What she actually said was that
you could hardly tell them apart. I told her
that it wasn’t difficult for me; Dezo was a
longhaired Shepherd. At our second
meeting, Phil told me that his first night
home without Dezo was very difficult. He
could hardly sleep. Finally, he had an idea.
He asked Suzanne to sleep by his bed so he
could occasionally reach down and pat her on
the head. He said he slept like a baby after
that. Today’s service brings different
memories and emotions to each one of us. I
am reminded of this past Friday afternoon as
I stood in the office at Hillcrest looking
out of the window as officer after officer
drove by to a funeral service for Officer
George W. Merritt. If you attended Officer
Merritt’s service, would you stand please?
You may be seated.
I am reminded of a service I attended just a
couple of months ago for three Horry County
officers who had died in the line of duty:
Dennis James Lyden, Henry O’Dell Stalvey,
Jr., and John Ronald Floyd. If you attended
that memorial service or worked with any
four of these officers I mentioned, would
you stand please? You may be seated. I
remember the call, 18 years ago tomorrow,
that came in the middle of the night to tell
me that my uncle, Henry O’Dell Stalvey, Jr.
had been killed in an automobile accident as
he responded to a call. As a family member,
I want to thank all of you who helped plan
such a wonderful tribute to these officers.
I hope today is one small way I can say
thank you as we honor Phil and Dezo and all
of you who put your lives on the line for
people like me every day. I salute each and
every one of you. God’s word tells us that
“there are friends who pretend to be
friends, but there is a friend who sticks
closer than family.” (Ps. 18:24) I am
certain that Phil would tell you that Dezo
was a true friend. I recently spoke with a
life-long friend of mine, who has been a law
enforcement officer for many years. He spoke
of relationships that can only be formed
between people who have been in life
threatening situations together. He spoke of
spending 14 hours with someone in a car on a
stake-out. He spoke of his son who calls a
former partner of his Uncle. As I thought
about Dezo’s name, I thought of several
characteristics represented by the letters
of his name. These characteristics are true
for officers everywhere. The “D” in Dezo’s
name reminds us that an officer must be
disciplined and dedicated. Not only must
officers be physically disciplined, but they
must also be mentally disciplined. An
officer must know how to hold his or her
emotions when the average person might
strike back at someone or be incapacitated
by fear. Dezo was disciplined and dedicated.
He trained hard. He won or placed near the
top in nearly every competition he entered.
He was always ready to serve. The “E” in
Dezo’s name reminds us of the energy and
enthusiasm an officer must bring to the
position. There must be a love for the job
and the people one serves. It is not likely
that this enthusiasm and energy will be
generated by the figures on a check stub on
pay-day. One of the first traits Phil saw in
Dezo was his drive to hunt. In fact, Dezo
was so enthusiastic and energetic that Phil
was a bit hesitant to choose him. Dezo
proved to be very capable and always ready.
The “Z” in Dezo’s name reminds us that an
officer must be “zeroed-in”. Hearing the
words “zeroed-in” after completing time at a
firing range tells an officer that his or
her sidearm is properly sighted. This gives
the officer assurance that the weapon is at
top performance and will be effective when
used. Law enforcement officers must be
intensely focused as the lives of fellow
officers and civilians depend on the officer
being “zeroed-in”. Dezo was “zeroed-in”. He
was focused and at top performance. He was
ready to serve. The “O” in Dezo’s name
reminds us that he was an officer. What does
it mean to be an officer?
It means
that one has received special training and
should be respected and honored. The term
implies that one will protect and serve
others even if the life of the officer is
required to do so. Officers protect and
serve others. An officer’s needs and wants
are placed beneath the needs of others. The
Bible says in Proverbs 17:17 that “a friend
loves at all times, and a brother is born
for adversity.” An officer must be ready at
all times for adversity and difficult
circumstances. Dezo was an officer who stood
by his partner, protected his community, and
was ready in every difficult situation. In
the gospel of John, Jesus is recorded as
having said there is no greater love than
someone who is willing to lay down his or
her life for a friend. Every day officers
put their lives on the line for others. Dezo
put his life on the line also. Today we
remember his contributions to law
enforcement. We pray for Phil, his family,
and all fellow officers. Today we salute a
fallen brother. Rest in peace, Dezo.
****************************
May we pray: Dear Lord,
Thank you
for this day that we can come together to
support our law enforcement officers. I
thank you for the sacrifice that each one of
them has made and does make every day to
keep our communities safe. We pray today
that you would protect them as they serve.
We pray for their safety as they drive and
as they perform their duties. We pray for
their families who so often live with
anxiety and fear. We thank you for spouses
and children who support and love our
officers. Today especially, dear Lord, we
thank you for the contributions of one
particular officer, Officer K-9 Dezo. We
thank you for his service and
accomplishments. We thank you for his
sacrifice. We pray for Phil, his family, and
the officers who knew Dezo personally. Give
them comfort today as they grieve this great
loss. Help them to remember good times
memorial service. RANDALL HILL/The Sun News
Flowers shaped like a doggie
bone sit near Dezo's casket. RANDALL
HILL/The Sun News
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Memorials
to Fallen K-9s