In Loving Memory of
K9 LIOYD
1993 - April 1, 2006

Handler: Constable Richard Keloa
Trobriand Island in Milne Bay Province
Australia

Lloyd is laid to rest - By SHEILA LASIBORI

In February last year the two daily papers published stories about 11-year-old German Shepard Lioyd, who had retired from the Police Force and was going to be put to rest through lethal injection. The story raised concern from animal organizations and readers who did not want to see such a valiant member of the force put down.So Lloyd's life was spared and he was adopted by the family of his handler Constable Richard Kelola to live out his retirement. On April 1 Lloyd  passed away at the Port Moresby Veterinary Clinic due to old age. A week before Lloyd died he developed severe complications in its lungs, liver, heart and esophagus. Constable Kelola rushed the dog to the clinic but nothing could be done to save him. Lloyd died at the age of 13. Liord had lived beyond the life expectancy for its breed - German shepherds - which is 10 to 12 years.Lloyd and Constable Kelola met when Liord was just a year old after arriving from Australia to join the eight-member 1996 police dog intake at the RPNGC Dog School at Bomana, Port Moresby. Constable Kelola from Trobriand Island in Milne Bay province was assigned to handle Lloyd.  The black German shepherd - with patches of faded brown fur - a typical color of the breed - quickly responded to training and handling tactics. Const Kelola had said it took him only six weeks to train him while the other dogs took about 12 weeks."I have been with him. We have worked together...we have gone through difficult situations and risky situations too and he at some time saved my life," Mr Kelola had said.
According to policies covering service dogs in the RPNGC, Lloyd was to be put to rest through lethal injection on January 28, last year but this was delayed because the vet clinic was out of stock of the euthanasia drug. The policies also disallows police dogs to be leased out or given to civilians because the dogs would not be given the same treatment and care they receive at the institute. Police dogs also died of loneliness when they found that they could no longer be close to their handlers on a daily basis and also putting former service dogs to rest, the RPNGC sees that it is the honourable way for dogs who have achieved a lot while serving the force. But the newspapers' publications drew concerns over the animal's life from the public and organisations and forced the Dog School to bend some of its policies regarding retired service dogs and allowed Const Kelola to take the animal home. As a result Const Kelola and his family were able to spend at least another year with Lloyd. "I'm going to miss him. For almost 10 years I have been with him. Losing him is heart breaking for me. He is like a best friend to me," soft-spoken Const Kelola had said back in 2006. Like most German shepherds who had gone through the Dog School, Lloyd was trained as a general purpose dog to specialise in tracking, crowd control and in disarming, disabling and apprehending law offenders.The 13-year-old almost clocking 10 years in the Police Force from 1996 to 2005 served with loyalty and dedication to orders from the RPNGC hierarchy, which were imparted to it by its handler.  Some of these orders were given during search and rescue operations when Lloyd was needed to help track criminals, especially those involved in armed robberies, hold-ups, abduction and rape. And during the operational duties both the dog and its handler took risks.Lloyd faced a near-death ordeal four years ago when it went ahead of its handler at Laloki in search of an escapee who was serving time for murder at the Bomana Correctional Service Institute. The search led to them crossing the Laloki River three times. Lloyd was cut across the face - an attack which the escapee admitted was meant for the human companion of the dog. Const Kelola carried his partner back to the main road and rushed it to the vet clinic. Lloyd could have died then from loss of blood. This attack resulted in a six months off-duty for Lloyd to recover, while the escapee was returned to Bomana. In 1999, on the night of January 27 at Goroka in East Highlands province Lloyd was shot at with a .38 pistol by some armed suspects when a rustling was heard in the bushes after the canine and Const Kelola went after four men who  had previously abducted a woman into the bushes along Gonix Street. Lloyd then disarmed the gunman and his companions who were armed with bush knives. Lloyd could have been shot but its black fur blended with the darkness of the night and hid it from the men. This successful operation earned the partners their first recognition for a job well done.Lloyd was the dog that got involved in tracking down suspects for abduction, rape and murder of a woman along the Porebada road on the outskirts of NCD, several years ago. The suspects were then convicted and imprisoned, one serving life sentence whilst the other two each serving 15 years respectively. Lloyd also took part in controlling the crowd near the Waigani Government offices' area in 2001 during the UPNG student-led unrest over issues relating to privatisation. But Const Kelola would remember Lloyd even more when the dog was entrusted with the task to find a way out of the wilderness in the mountains of Goroka when both were lost after tracking for 12 hours for men suspected of robbing the Lahani club. Lloyd stumbled off a cliff almost pulling its handler with it, but Const Kelola managed to save both their lives when he tied the leash to a tree which supported him as he pulled Lloyd up. Lloyd then started tracking out of the wilderness as it led its handler who was picking wild berries for both to eat. Const Kelola also allowed Lloyd to rest several times because he realised that they were lost and knew that he relied on the dog to sniff their way out. Tired Lloyd led the way while Const Kelola kept whispering reminders, saying "take us back...you can do it...I am relying on you."  They reached the old Highlands Highway and a motorist gave them a ride back to Goroka town. Another highlight was back in 2005 during a mass prison breakout from the Bomana Correctional Service prison where Lloyd tracked the terraneous Laloki Mountains. Dehydration prevented Lloyd from climbing further and the police Eye In the Sky airlifted Lloyd and Const Kelola back home. Lloyd succumbed to old age at about 7pm on April 1 and was laid to rest near the Kelola home at Bomana Police College on Monday April 2.  submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA