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Gentlemen
of the Jury: The
best friend a man has in this world may turn against him and
become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with
loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and
dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good
name, may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man
has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it
the most. A man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of
ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their
knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to
throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our
heads. The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man may have in
this selfish world, the one that never deserts him and the one
that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog.
Gentlemen of the jury, a man's
dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in
sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds
blow and the snow drives fiercely if only he may be near his
master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer, he
will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with the
roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master
as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains.
When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as
constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the
heavens. If fortune drives the master forth an outcast in the
world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher
privelge than that of accompanying him to guard against danger, to
fight against his enemies, and when the last scene of all comes,
and death takes the master in its embrace and his body is laid
away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue
their way, there by his graveside will the noble dog be found, his
head between his paws, his eyes sad but open in alert
watchfulness, faithful and true even to death.
Sen. George Vest, 1870
Reprinted from Your Family Pet Magazine,
courtesy Gaines Professional Services
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This photo was taken at the
World Trade Center in NYC in the aftermath of the worst
attack on this country in its history, 11 Sept 2001. CSP K9
units and dog teams from many other agencies worked beyond
exhaustion for many days during the intensive search for victims
and survivors. When their work was done, they returned to their
departments and their homes, to await the next call. |
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| The real testament to a great
working dog is that people still talk about him, long after he is
gone. This dog's name was Thor. His first handler, Trooper
Carl Moller, was my closest friend. Carl was killed in the
line of duty on February 13, 1976. (Friday the 13th!) Thor and I
were partners for five years. He was truly a great dog, and
only those who have shared the experience of being part of a
successful patrol dog team will understand the special bond that
evolves between the partners of such a team. Thor was honored with
a Commissioner's Special Recognition upon his retirement. And he
deserved it. He was one of the most intelligent dogs I ever worked
with, and had an enviable record of "grabs" and
successes. |
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| CSP K9
The Connecticut State Police
have had a working relationship with dogs that extends back almost
to the beginning of the department. In the earliest days, the
department was among the first to regularly employ bloodhounds for
tracking purposes. In the '60s, the CSP began training and using
german shepherds for tracking, deterrent purposes, and recovery of
evidence. A special unit was established, and dogs were here to
stay. Over the years, the CSP K9 unit has been on the forefront of
many advances in the use of dogs in police work, including
specially trained arson dogs, drug detection dogs, and body
recovery dogs. CSP K9 teams are regularly called to assist
throughout the state, country, and in other areas of the world.
Because of their success, the K9 unit has provided training to
police and other agencies the world over. There are many people
who are alive today because of CSP dog teams. There are more who
have had their day in the justice system.
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| Connecticut troopers who want
to be part of the K9 unit are carefully screened to determine
their suitability for the work. Being a dog handler involves much
additional work, requires excellent physical fitness, and a
serious commitment. It also demands an individual who can function
as part of a team, and who has complete faith in the ability of
the team. Dog handlers and their dogs go places where others
cannot or will not. Troopers who are dog handlers are not removed
from their patrol function - rather they are expected to perform
all the regular duties of a trooper, and the additional
responsibilities of the specialty. Once selected as a trainee dog
handler, troopers attend a training class which lasts four months.
They are paired with a specially selected dog, and both learn the
ropes together, beginning to form the bond that will make them a
team. The training includes obedience, searching and tracking,
aggressive work, evidence recovery, and a rigid physical fitness
regimen. When they have completed the program, they return to
their troop and put their skills to work. The dogs are part of the
trooper's family, living at home with them and playing with their
kids. There are no "cages" in CSP cruisers - these are
dogs that are completely stable and happy, with excellent
obedience - not man-eaters that are kept in kennels. When the dogs
are "senior", they are retired and live out their years
with the trooper and his/her family. Most veteran dog handlers
will say that these were the best years of their careers. |
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| For a look at the
history of patrol dogs in Viet Nam, which gave us a great deal
of experience and knowledge about the abilities of K9 teams,
please go to the Viet
Nam Dog Handler Association pages. Hundreds of families
in this country donated dogs to serve in Viet Nam, and they
served faithfully. In its haste to withdraw, the government
abandoned a huge number of these dogs, discarded as just another
piece of equipment, left behind. Not one dog was returned,
either to its handler or to the family that donated it. |
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