| APD K-9 Patrol Newsletter |
| June 2005 |
| Volume 2, Number 6 |
| General Update |
| Our new dog “Vuk” suffered a medical setback. He injured his leg during playtime with the ball. He twisted the leg the wrong way and required surgery. Vuk will be out of training for about eight weeks. During this time, Officer Eveleth will continue his classroom instruction and hands-on training. See the Community Section below for further details on Vuk’s medical treatment.This month saw several important arrests by our dogs. Because of our dogs, nine dangerous suspects are off the street, including a rapist and an armed robber. See the expanded arrest highlights below. |
| Arrest Highlights |
| Arrests made in the month of May include: |
| Rapist Caught by "Bandit!" Officer White and Bandit were called to search for a rapist in North East Austin. The suspect was reportedly armed with a knife. Bandit located the suspect hiding on top of a shed in a back yard. Thanks to Bandit, a dangerous sex offender is off the streets!Armed Robber Caught by "Chase!" Officer Mierl and Chase were called to search for an armed robber in South West Austin. The suspect used a pistol in a hold up and fled the scene. During the search, shots were fired from the area where the suspect ran. Chase located the suspect hidden in some bushes along a fence in a citizen’s back yard. School Burglar Caught by "Bandit!" Officer White and Bandit were called to southwest Austin to assist officers out on a burglary-in-progress at a local school. Officers caught one suspect, but the second one fled inside the school. As Bandit approached the school, the suspect fled out a side door with officers in foot pursuit. Officer White was able to get Bandit to the location of the pursuit. He called out several loud warnings to stop. The suspect saw the dog and heard the warnings. He then decided to stop running and give up before Officer White sent Bandit. This is exactly how we want the situation to end, with no one hurt and the suspect in custody! Officer Davenport & Ammo – Officer Davenport and Ammo were involved with the arrest of a fleeing felon. The suspect was wanted for Unauthorized Use Of A Motor Vehicle. He fled officers in the vehicle and a car pursuit took place. The suspect crashed the vehicle in Central East Austin and fled on foot. This suspect did not give up to officers and Ammo took him into custody. Officer Lahr & Draco - Officer Lahr and Draco assisted officers in Central East Austin. Officers were behind a vehicle occupied by a suspect fleeing from a felony assault with a weapon. The vehicle stopped and a high-risk traffic stop took place. Offcier Lahr warned the suspect not to run or resist. Draco gave out his famous bark/howl as he stood watch. The suspect decided to cooperate and he was taken into custody. Officer Lahr & Draco - Officer Lahr and Draco also assisted officers in North Central Austin. A suspect wanted for reckless driving had run from police on foot. Draco located the suspect hiding in a large bushy area. The suspect tried to flee when found, but Lahr and Draco cut him off in an open area. After numerous warnings were given, the suspect gave up without resistance. |
| Community |
| A local veterinarian has become APD’s K-9 Patrol newest best friend. Officer Mierl’s canine Chase was referred to Dr. Murphy in Round Rock when he developed neck problems. Expensive MRI’s and treatments were performed. Dr. Murphy generously offered to do Chase’s testing and treatment at no cost to the City. Then, Officer Eveleth’s police dog, Vuk, seriously injured his leg while playing. Dr. Murphy again came through for K-9 Patrol by offering to treat Vuk at no cost at all. This involved surgery and follow up treatments. There is no way to properly thank Dr. Murphy for his kind support of our unit and care of our police dogs! |
| Upcoming |
| Thursday, June 16th – Texas Police Games K-9 Event in San Antonio Selection of a new police dog for Officer Forbes Updates on the two new dogs’ training |
| Dog Training Hints: In order to teach a dog anything, you must reinforce the desired behavior.A reward must do two things to work: 1. It must have great value to the dog.Don’t pick a reward just because you like it or it is “cool.” Let the dog choose the reward. In doing so, you insure that the dog will work hard for it and the behavior will be maintained. 2. The handler must be able to control it. A reward is no good to you as the trainer if you do not control it. If you allow the dog to have access to the reward anytime, the value is diminished and the behavior is harder to maintain. Give the dog the reward only after completing the desired task. |
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| APD K-9 PATROL INFORMATION CONTACT: Officer DJ Lahr darrin.lahr@ci.austin.tx.us EDITOR: Rose Kaminski rose@k9crimefighters.com WE’RE ON THE WEB! For more information: www.k9crimefighters.com |
| Last updated 12/22/2005 |
| Fun Dog Facts: Survivors of the Titanic included two dogs: a Pekingese belonging to Henry Sleeper Harper and a Pomeranian belonging to Miss Margaret Hays. Every minute, dogs take ten to thirty breaths. The only mammals with prostates are humans and dogs. The oldest breed of dog native to North America is the Chihuahua. |
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| K-9 Patrol Unit News |
| Aztek, a six-year-old Belgian Malinois and a veteran of K-9 Patrol for the last five years, has retired. It is still possible that Aztek will work as a drug dog, although that decision has not been made. If Aztek does not work dope, Officer Forbes will adopt him. The K-9 Unit will be selecting a new police dog for Officer Forbes in the coming weeks. |