In Loving Memory of
K9 ACE
November 2006

Handler: Bryan Taylor
Baton Rouge Police Department
704 Mayflower St.
Baton Rouge, LA 70802

In the following year, 2006, as the city adjusted to its newer, larger population, they dealt with an increased workload, responding to 3,740 calls, recovering 47 stolen vehicles and making 318 arrests.  "Usually only an individual dog is honored with the ACE, however in this unique situation we could not bring ourselves to single out only one hero, and therefore were inspired to bestow the award upon this entire team of  dogs," said Ronald Rella, AKC Director of Project Administration and member of the judging panel.  The AKC will present the BRPD.
K-9 unit with engraved silver collar medallions and a $1,000 cash award at a presentation ceremony at the AKC/Eukanuba
National Championship in Long Beach, California, on December 1-2, 2007. The unit has requested, however, that the award
 money be donated to the St. Jude's Children Research Hospital in Memphis in honor of a fellow K-9 handler's daughter
who was a patient there (Lt. Jay Sullivan, Zachary Police Department and his daughter Chelsea).Prior to Chelsea’s death at age 9  in 2001, she named Cpl. Bryan Taylor's K-9. The name that she picked, ironically, was Ace.

In Loving Memory of
 K9 ASTRO
Began service
Feb. 1997 - Nov. 2, 2006 

Detective Robert Connors
Boward Sheriff's Office
2601 W. Broward Blvd.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL  33312 -  954 831.8900

Police dog dies; car failure blamed Deputy left A/C running, but engine overheated in sun while he was away
Broward Sheriff's detective training at Port Everglades on Wednesday returned to his patrol car to find smoke seeping from the hood. He had left the engine and air conditioning running to keep his K-9 partner comfortable, but the engine overheated in the noontime sun. It stopped the air conditioner and left the dog helpless, as the inside of the car grew hotter from the 85-degree heat. By the time Bomb Squad Detective Robert Connors reached K-9 Astro in the back seat, the male Belgian Malinois was fading. Connor's partner the past five years was pronounced dead at Hollywood Animal Hospital. "He's devastated," said sheriff's spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright. "It's like losing a member of the family. They lived together."  The Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident but has so far blamed the dog's death on an engine malfunction. The patrol cars fitted for K-9 units are equipped with an alarm that is supposed to sound if the engine overheats. The windows also are supposed to automatically roll down, Coleman-Wright said. None of that happened Wednesday afternoon, the Sheriff's Office said. It's not uncommon for deputies to leave their patrol cars running for extended periods, which they often do when they need to keep their flashing lights on while blocking off crime scenes. The Sheriff's Office is planning a memorial for Astro. BSO is investigating why the car engine malfunctioned and what led to Astro's death. Memorial service was held.

In Loving Memory of 
K9 ANDRE 
April 21, 2006 

  Handler: Bob Decowski 
Middlesex Sheriff's Office 
 40 Thorndike Street - Box 97
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02141
Non-emergency: (617)494-4400 - Fax: (617)577-8373
based at the Middlesex House of Correction. Police departments around Middlesex County, 
including those in Billerica, Bedford, Townsend, Ayer, Carlisle, Lexington, Lowell and Dracut 

Partner pays tribute to K9 dog By Margaret Smith/ Staff Writer Thursday, September 14, 2006  MA
He found car theft and break-in suspects, tracked missing people, quelled prison disturbances and located marijuana fields, trekking through woods, swamps and dangerous places where others might not set foot - or paw.  And when Andre,  a Czechoslovakian-born German shepherd and K9 dog, was euthanized April 21, after a painful battle with hip dysplasia at age 12, his friend and working partner, Bob Decowski, wanted to honor him and the veterinarians who saw to his care during much of his life.  Decowski recently presented a plaque to McGrath Animal Hospital, which provided Andre's medical needs. In his own career, Decowski, a lifelong Billerica resident, has 17 years of law enforcement experience, including 10 years of working with law enforcement dogs. For three and a half years between 1995 and 1998, Decowski and Andre worked together when Decowski served as a deputy sheriff and K9 officer at the Middlesex Sheriff's office, based at the Middlesex House of Correction.  Additionally, their work together included mutual aid to police departments around Middlesex County, including those in Billerica, Bedford, Townsend, Ayer, Carlisle, Lexington, Lowell and Dracut.  "He's well-known in Billerica," said Decowski. "People still asked, 'How's Andre? '' Law enforcement dogs can have varying abilities based on breed and training.  Andre was a so-called tactical K9 dog, whose abilities included picking up the scent of people under pursuit.  Decowski recalled some of Andre's efforts, including a February 1997 case in which police followed four suspects a stolen car from Billerica to Route 62 in Bedford, where it crashed. Decowski said one suspect was caught at the scene, but the other three split up and ran in different directions. He said Andre's scent-tracking expertise led them to the alleged driver, whom he said was hiding in some bushes, tracked down after Andre picked up his scent from the gas and brake pedals and driver's seat, Decowski said.  He said the suspect didn't show his hands when commanded to do so, and kicked in Andre in the face, an action that can bring charges of assault on a police officer.   letter from then-Billerica Police Chief Paul Matthews to Sheriff James DiPaola commends the pair's "determination and skills" in the suspect's capture. It is one of several letters from law enforcement officials praising the pair's work in various crises, from efforts to apprehend suspects to the recapture of escaped inmates.  On another occasion, Decowski said Andre assisted in the search for four youths who allegedly broke into a home in a neighborhood off River Street. Three were apprehended immediately, but one ran into a swampy, wooded area off Elsie Avenue, Decowski said. He said the suspect was caught after Andre tracked the suspect's scent through the swamp and muck.  In such instances, a police dog can act as a surrogate for a police officer, traveling lithely into areas where humans can't go as easily, Decowski said.  "The dog, he's your partner. He's putting his life in front of yours," Decowski said. A dog may also be used to quiet disturbances among prisoners. Andre and Decowski were trained for riot response in prisons.  Decowski said, at the House of Correction, he said Andre helped quell a disturbance. In such cases, an inmate may be ordered to lay face down, or kneel and face the wall. If the inmate refuses to comply after commands are issued three times, the inmate can be told that the dog can be given orders to bite. In standoff situations, such as those in which a suspect is in a building, Decowski said the suspect can be told to come out and warned that the dog will be released if the suspect refuses. The suspect can be told that the dog may be ordered to bite.  As in prison disturbances, the suspect must be given three chances to surrender. Decowski said, only twice in his career did Andre receive orders to bite, orders given in street situations on both occasions.  He works for the IRS as an independent contractor with Fletch, a 3-year-old golden retriever and an explosives detection dog.  Of working with canine crime-stoppers, he said, "I just love it. I love having the dog as a partner. I'm amazed at the things they are trained to do."   In remembering Andre and presenting the plaque to Andre's veterinarians, Decowski said, "I just wanted [the community] to know he's been put to rest. He's dedicated his life to chasing criminals, capturing criminals, finding missing children. I just want him to be remembered for that." 
  submitted by Jim Cortina 

In Loving Memory of
 K9 "A.L.I."
June 5, 1995 – November 19, 2006

Royalairs Automatic Location Identifier
I first saw ALI when she was 7 days old and it was love at first sight.  She came to live with us when she was 5 ½ weeks old and began her SAR training at the age of 7 weeks.  She received her CGC at the age of 7 months and her Therapy dog certification at the age of 13 months. She  certified in search and rescue at the age of 2 yrs and 3 months. She proved to be an excellent search dog, certifying first in water and air scent and excelling in trailing, article searches and cadaver. ALI had many memorable searches and finds.  From drowning victims to guns  and pagers, she was a very reliable search dog. ALI’s most memorable search occurred when she was 8 years old.  The call came in the middle  of the night during one of the worst rain and electrical storms I can remember.  An elderly gentleman that had difficulty walking and breathing had disappeared from a nursing home and despite a desperate 8 hour search he still was not found.  With ALI’s sister Heather in tow  my husband and I headed to the search area.  ALI trailed from the gentleman’s bed down the hall of the nursing home, out the front door and  around the building with no hesitation. She proceeded down the driveway behind the building and across the nursing home yard.  She lost scent at  a blacktop road and when I gave her time she picked the scent back up on the other side of the road. I was informed the firemen had extensively  searched the area and so I was called back. Each time I set ALI out we ended up back in the same area and called off again and again.  A few  hours before sunrise, drenched and exhausted the Sheriff made the decision to call off the search until sunrise to give everyone a rest.   I approached the search manager and expressed my concern that ALI insisted the man was in the already searched area and I believed she was telling me the truth.The search manager requested the Sheriff allow dogs to quickly check the area one more time due to ALI’s insistence and if they found nothing we would quit.  The Sheriff reluctantly agreed.  Within 15 minutes the gentleman was found lying next to an electrical fence he had touched in the rain.  He had collapsed and was hypothermic.   The man was rushed to the hospital and survived.  Apparently he was out walking in the area looking for cigarettes he was not allowed to have.ALI was indeed my best friend and soul mate. Her passing has left a huge  void in my life, I can not imagine every going into a field and doing a search again without her by my side.

In Loving Memory of 
Unknown K9 & Handler??
2006
 
Chicago Police Department
6120 S Racine Ave
Chicago, IL 60636
(312) 747-8220

Cop's dead dog triggered pound probe 
September 23, 2006   BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
A Chicago Police lieutenant whose dog was euthanized when it was supposed to be held for a 10-day rabies observation triggered the  investigation that culminated in this week's raid on Chicago's Commission on Animal Care and Control, City Hall sources said Friday.   The investigation by Inspector General David Hoffman is aimed at determining what prompted the dog to be mistakenly euthanized,  why records were destroyed to hide the error and whether narcotics used to euthanize animals are either missing or unaccounted for at the city pound at 2741 S. Western, sources said.  The Chicago Sun-Times reported earlier this week the inspector general seized boxes of  documents and computer files from Animal Care and Control and took pictures of conditions at the South Side facility amid allegations  that a dog was mistakenly euthanized and that employees covered it up.  Friday, employees and volunteers who work at Animal Care and Control  described the incident that touched off the investigation. 
They said a dog belonging to an unidentified police lieutenant bit someone last  month and was taken to the city pound for observation.  "It was not even an aggressive attack. The dog was provoked, and it was defending  itself," said a source familiar with the incident.  When dogs bite, they are taken to the city pound for a 10-day quarantine and held for  rabies observation. The dog is observed on the first and 10th day after a bite to determine whether there is any sign of rabies. If results  prove negative, the dog is released to its owner.  'Where is it going?' Some time within that 10-day period, the lieutenant's dog was destroyed -- along with the records that show the dog was taken to the city pound, sources said.  The investigation is now aimed at determining whether the incident was isolated or part of a broader pattern of animal  mistreatment. Shortages of narcotics and dog food, the condition of cages and whether dogs are being walked and washed properly all have drawn the attention of investigators. An animal care volunteer, who asked to be unnamed, said conditions at the city pound have gone from bad to worse since June 2005, when  former Streets and Sanitation deputy Anne Kent was named executive director of Animal Care and Control. The move was made to undermine  the authority of then-Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Al Sanchez, who has long-standing ties to the Mayor Daley-created Hispanic  Democratic Organization at the center of the city hiring scandal.  "They run out of dog and cat food. Is the food missing? Is someone stealing it? You have a budget. What's happening with the food? Vaccine and boosters are missing. Where is it going? Who's taking it?" the volunteer  said.  Kent could not be reached for comment. Hoffman refused to comment on the ongoing investigation.
submitted by: fspielman@suntimes.com  No further information... please submit if you have any. L. Krause loulou5858@comcast.net

In Loving Memory of
K9 ANDRE
April 21, 2006

Handler: Bob Decowski
Middlesex Sheriff's Office
address
Based at the Middlesex House of Correction. police departments around Middlesex County, including those in Billerica, Bedford,  Townsend, Ayer, Carlisle, Lexington, Lowell and Dracut