Sheriff: Community donations made it possible to continue canine program
The Logan County Sheriff’s Office has a new four-legged, hard-working crime-fighter among their ranks, and he and his handler, Deputy Cole Piatt, are now busy assuming full-time patrol duties around the county after successfully attaining their state certification this week.
K9 Thor, a German shepherd raised in Germany who turned 18 months old Friday, is happily settling into his role with his new work family, Deputy Piatt and Logan County Sheriff Randy Dodds said.
“He has adapted really well and really quickly,” the deputy said of Thor. “He is a very affectionate dog, but he also loves to work and has a lot of drive. He gets very excited when it’s time to get in the car.”
“The staff around here love him, and we’re very excited to have him,” the sheriff said. “It is amazing to see him go into ‘work’ mode — it’s like a flip of a switch when it’s time for him to do his job.”
Thor was hand-selected by sheriff’s office staff Jan. 4, and arrived at the agency Jan. 14, exactly two months following the unexpected passing of the department’s previous K9 Cane in November to a work-related training accident, as previously detailed in the Examiner. Cane had just started his career with the LCSO in August.
Deputy Piatt said his previous canine sustained a minor injury during a training exercise Nov. 12 outdoors at the Logan County Sheriff’s Office, when the dog ran “full steam head” into a trailer on the grounds. The dog was placed out of service that day and was first treated at Northside Animal Clinic and later was transported to MedVet in Columbus.
His handler received a call in the early morning hours of Nov. 14 that Cane had gone into cardiac arrest, and the dog passed away shortly thereafter with Deputy Piatt by his side. More recently, the sheriff’s office received autopsy results, which showed that Cane had sustained a ripped intestine and punctured lung.
“That was the worst day that Cane died; I got used to having my partner by my side all the time,” Deputy Piatt said. “But now that we have Thor, it’s a wonderful feeling having a sidekick again. We bonded very quickly. My house isn’t so quiet anymore, either, after we go home each night.”
Sheriff Dodds and Deputy Piatt related that it was through generous support from the community and local donations totaling approximately $10,000 to the LCSO canine fund that the agency was able to put a canine back on the road so quickly. The department also received insurance funds related to Cane’s death.
“We want to thank the citizens of Logan County,” the canine handler said. “It’s amazing that we’re able to have a canine working again, and without using taxpayer dollars.”
“The word about Cane’s passing got out in the media, and so many people in our community donated money to the cause of a new canine,” the sheriff said. “The outpouring of support was just overwhelming.
“We hope to show in return the good deeds of our canine, who’s another tool in our crime-fighting tool kit. He’s trained in conducting searches for people, narcotics searches and building searches. He also is a good public relations tool when we’re out at events. He’s a multi-faceted dog with many capabilities.”
K9 Thor and his handler completed their training at the Von der Haus Gill K9 Police Academy in Wapakoneta, which they wrapped up this week.
The 18-month-old, 80-pound canine had already finished his obedience training prior to his arrival in the U.S., so at the training academy, he was able to go straight into building searches, area searches, vehicle searches, narcotics searches and other police dog training areas.
During his first day on the job Thursday, K9 Thor helped his handler and several other law enforcement agencies with locker searches and student vehicle searches at West Liberty-Salem Schools and Graham Local Schools, where no contraband was found, Deputy Piatt said. The dog also has assisted with several traffic stops alongside the deputy.
To continue fighting against illegal narcotics flowing into the county and for a number of other aspects of the job, it is a major asset for the sheriff’s office to have such quick access to their own canine, Sheriff Dodds said.
“We have had between four to five dogs during my tenure, but the last time we had our own canine (before K9 Cane) was before the recession hit in 2008 when we had major budget cuts.
“It will be so nice to have Thor available right away. We’re so grateful to the surrounding law enforcement agencies we’ve been able to call on when we didn’t have our own canine.”