 |
|||||
|
There’s a new dog in town
By Jason Dietich
They’re
often the first to find hidden drugs or weapons. They protect their partners
and take down fleeing suspects. And they do it all for a bowl of kibble a day.
The Police department’s latest four-footed recruit was shown off to the mayor and city council members Tuesday, after Redondo Rotarians donated $2,500 towards the purchase of a new police dog.
Canine officer Bosco replaces Asko, one of the two canine officers that were recently retired, being purchased by their handlers. Bosco will be handled by Officer Kenneth Greenleaf, who also handled well-known police dog Boris, whose 1995 funeral service drew a crowd of over 300.
Redondo’s police dogs are German Shepherds imported from Eastern Europe and trained at a specialty kennel in Bakersfield, California. They are about a year-and-a-half old by the time they are turned over to their officers and have had basic obedience and attack training. It costs between $9,000 and $10,000 to purchase and train a police dog, as well as pay for an officer to spend several weeks bonding and training with their new partners.
"Most of the dogs we do purchase have come through donations from the public. We appreciate the help the Rotary Club has given the department over the years," said Redondo Beach Police Chief Mel Nichols who is also a member of the Rotary Club of Redondo.
The department is still looking for a third dog, but they’re not asking dog owners to teach Sparky to sniff out explosives.
"We’ve found that donated dogs typically don’t perform as well as ones who have a more controlled background," Nichols said. ER