Latest news with #DutchShepherd
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The military's only search and rescue dog has retired
The Air Force's search and rescue field is losing a veteran service member. A decorated member of the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, Callie retired after six years of service. Yes, Callie is a dog. A dog with years of experience and several deployments. Callie quietly retired earlier this year, but the Air National Guard released more details on the dog's service and farewell ceremony this weekend. Callie, a Dutch Shepherd, helped locate deceased people in disaster zones, assisted in clearing rubble, made 15 military free-fall jumps and accumulated 750 flight hours while serving with the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron. During those years, Callie was the military's only certified search and rescue canine. And yes, the dog has its own beret. During her service, she worked with her handler, Master Sgt. Rudy Parsons, who also left 123rd Special Tactics Squadron after 11 years. Both the dog and the handler were awarded Meritorious Service Medals at Callie's retirement ceremony. At the event, Maj. Bryan Hunt, commander of the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, called Callie 'an amazing canine,' per the Air National Guard. 'She also deployed six times in support of state and national-level calls for assistance,' Hunt said. 'Rudy was at her side for all of that. It didn't matter if the call for help came at 2 o'clock in the morning, they were going out the door.' The idea for pararescue dogs came after airmen deployed to Haiti in 2010 in the aftermath of its devastating earthquake. They saw how useful dogs were in helping to locate people trapped in the rubble in Port-au-Prince. Parsons led the effort in developing the program, and in 2019 Callie became the first dog to be fully trained and brought into pararescue work. 'I had always been the sarcastic guy in the room,' Parsons said at Callie's retirement ceremony. 'I always had a really negative quip. But when Callie came into my life, there was a massive shift. I wanted to be more uplifting as opposed to tearing things down.' Military working dogs are not a new invention. The U.S. military has more than 1,500 dogs in service around the branches of the armed forces. But Callie was different. For her work with the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, she had to train to be able to handle very specific conditions. holds certifications in freefall parachute insertion and mountain rescue, among other skills. Since then she has rappelled, ridden on helicopters and snow mobiles and traveled around the country for training and rescue missions. That included missions to Alaska and West Virginia, among other states. It's not been an easy job. The dog has taken several injuries, including knee injuries, eye damage and even a snake bite. While deployed to Mayfield, Kentucky in the wake of a tornado in 2021, she also suffered cuts to her paws and belly as she and her handler trudged through a destroyed candle factory looking for survivors. While Callie was in active service, the military did try training another dog in search and rescue tactics, but was removed from the training. Now officially retired, Callie is still with Parsons. But they're not deploying to disaster zones as special operators. He adopted her after her service ended. Commandant says Marines should have a say in whether they change duty stations Space Force Special Operations Command is on its way Army reverses course on banning fun and games for soldiers in Kuwait A meal card foul-up at Fort Johnson underscores a bigger Army problem Sailor wins $7,500 settlement after his car was towed and auctioned off while deployed
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
Morgantown Police Department welcomes new K-9
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — There's a new K-9 officer in the Morgantown Police Department. The department welcomed K-9 Edo on Wednesday, a one-year-old male Dutch Shepherd from Shallow Creek Kennels, a police dog training facility in Pennsylvania. K-9 Edo will spend the summer training with his new handler, Patrol Officer First Class Marlee France, the Morgantown Police Department said in a Facebook post. 'The Morgantown Police Department is thrilled to welcome Edo, the newest addition to the K-9 division!' the post said. According to the department, Edo will become certified in tracking and narcotics detection. Thousands of pet owners receive wrong ashes from Pittsburgh-area funeral home: Attorney General The Morgantown Police Department already has several other K-9 officers of different breeds. The department lost one its K-9s to a spinal disorder in 2022. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Super-sniffer: Can dogs help fruit growers find Little Cherry Disease?
Fruit growers in Washington may have a more reliable way to detect Little Cherry Disease in their trees. Washington State University researchers believe dogs can sniff out the pathogens that cause the disease, alerting growers early to the issue. WSU researchers partnered with an Idaho-based dog trainer, Jessica Kohntopp, for their study. She previously taught canines to sniff out COVID-19 and viruses that infect tomatoes, squash, and citrus. She trained two dogs specially bred for detection work: Humma, a Dutch Shepherd, and Aika, a Belgian Malinois. In March 2024, the WSU researchers tested the dogs' capabilities with a series of trials. The first took place in a greenhouse at the WSU Prosser Irrigated Agriculture Research Extension Center. When presented with nearly 200 plants, the dogs successfully found all seven positive trees and alerted on an additional plant, which later tested positive. Several months later, WSU says its researchers conducted a blind controlled study. Each dog sniffed 1,380 plants— 101 had Little Cherry Disease. WSU says the dogs missed a few infected trees, but neither false alerted. An additional mini study showed that the canines had a combined accuracy rate of 99.72%. WSU says the project will wrap up in May. The researchers plan to submit a proposal to the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission to extend their funding. WSU says the group wants to study whether dogs can sniff out infected bundles of trees at nurseries. The goal would be to stop Little Cherry Disease before it reaches the orchard. Little Cherry Disease is an incurable disease caused by one of three pathogens. It creates small, unripe cherries that are not good for farmers to sell. According to WSU researchers, the symptoms are typically only visible on the fruit during the harvest period; the rest of the year, the tree appears healthy. 'Without visible fruit, growers don't know if their trees are infected,' said Corina Serban, WSU tree fruit extension educator. 'Every year an infected tree stays in the ground, it could potentially infect additional trees.' Little Cherry Disease is often spread through the grafting and planting of infected trees. It's also spread through insects like mealybugs and leafhoppers. The only 100% sure way a fruit grower can get rid of the disease is by ripping out the tree and replacing it with a new one. According to WSU, it takes about five years for a tree to reach production size. WSU says traditional PCR testing is expensive and time-consuming. For example, dissecting just one tree for PCR testing can take an entire day. 'PCR tests rely on tree tissue samples,' Harper said. 'Without symptoms to guide you, it's hard to tell where in the tree the disease is present. You're sampling blind and will probably miss it.' The eventual goal is to make dogs like Aika and Humma widely accessible for commercial growers.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Yahoo
Jacksonville has a new K-9 officer
Rambo, Jacksonville Police Department's trained police dog, has a new handler – Officer Steve Rodgers. Rodgers' first day on the job with Rambo was Monday. The duo was certified as a K-9 team through the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association following a month of training at Hill Country Dog Center in Bandera. Rambo, a Dutch Shepherd, specializes in narcotics and apprehension. Rambo's previous partner Michael Torres was promoted to sergeant, creating a need for a new K-9 officer. Rodgers was chosen from a handful of candidates through a competitive process that involved physical running and personal interviews. 'Everybody likes dogs,' Rodgers said regarding his interest in the position. 'But, I really, really like them. I've always had one. They've always been a part of my life.' Rodgers, who joined the department in October 2023, said he was familiar with Rambo because Torres, Rambo's previous handler, was one of his field training officers. 'The only thing I had to do was clean up his commands,' Rodgers said. 'He knows how to find dope. He knows how to find drugs. He knows how to chase people down. He listens well. We just worked on obedience and making everything sharp.' Rodgers added that Rambo is smart enough to know when he can and can't be lazy. Despite being bite-trained for apprehensions, Rambo has been used as an ambassador for the department, making visits to local schools. He is uncharacteristically calm and laid back, according to Corporal Amanda Bragg. 'He's just chill,' Bragg said. 'He did excellent in the schools before, under Torres. I'm hopeful he will do just as well with Officer Rodgers.' Rambo, along with Torres, also appeared at community-wide events such as National Night Out. Rodgers provided instances in which Rambo is utilized on the job. He said if there are suspicions but no probable cause to search a vehicle, Rambo can be deployed. If he alerts to the presence of drugs, the police then have probable cause to conduct a search. 'For apprehension of a fugitive, as long as Graham v. Connor is met, we can send him after somebody,' Rodgers said. Graham v. Connor is the 1989 U.S. Supreme Court case that established an objective reasonableness standard for evaluating claims of excessive force by police during arrests, investigatory stops or other seizures. Factors used in determining whether a reasonable use of force is the severity of the crime, whether the suspect poses an immediate threat to others and whether the suspect is fleeing or resisting arrest. 'Most of the time your backup is there before you need it,' Rodgers said. 'But, there are occasions where somebody else is tied up and you wind up in a bad position. As soon as you hit the ejector-seat button and he pops out of the car, he's going to help a whole lot. It takes a situation that's rough and scary and makes it manageable.' Rodgers said Rambo is in the back of the police car for approximately 80% of their shift. According to Bragg, K-9 officers are extremely dedicated because they not only work a specific shift, but are on call all the time. While members of the Jacksonville Police Department, Rambo and Rodgers may also be called upon to assist other law enforcement agencies. After being deployed, Rambo is rewarded with his favorite toy – a black Kong, a snowman-shaped, rubber toy. 'He really likes coming here,' Rodgers said about Rambo's work environment. 'When we pull in the parking lot, he's stoked about it.' At the end of the work day, Rambo goes home with Rodgers, where he has already become part of the family. 'He initially missed his last dad, you could tell, but I did everything I could to make him feel comfortable and immediately integrated him into my family,' Rodgers said. Rodgers is married with two children, ages 10 and 5, has a fox red Labrador and a cat, which he says Rambo fears. Police dogs usually work from 10 to 12 years. When Rambo, who has been on the job for five years, is ready to retire, Rodgers said he'll be allowed to adopt the dog.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Yahoo
Meet Myla: The new police dog keeping Colorado City safe
COLORADO CITY, Texas () – The Colorado City Police Department has recently added a powerful new member to its ranks—a 20-month-old Dutch Shepherd named Myla, who is already proving to be an asset in the fight against crime. Certified in narcotics detection, tracking, and bite work, Myla is a true triple threat. She and her handler, Ridge Saverance, completed six weeks of training at Custom Canines in Georgia, where Myla stood out as one of the top performers, according to Police Chief Kyle Strickland. 'Ridge Saverance served in the military and made a huge commitment to make Colorado City a safer community as he used his post-9/11 GI funds to assist in getting a K9 unit to our department,' Stickland shared. 'As the police chief, I knew of another officer in a previous agency who had stepped up and utilized the same process. This proposal was presented to the city manager, Donna Madrid, with huge support prior to the council. Mayor Ruben Hurt and all council members voted to approve additional funds needed for the program and have shown great support, as there were a lot of moving pieces to make it happen.' Though Myla has only been with the department for a few weeks, she's already making an impact. She assisted the Texas Department of Public Safety in obtaining probable cause for searches, leading to the discovery of methamphetamines and marijuana. Myla has also worked with the Mitchell County Sheriff's Office on warrant arrests and vehicle searches. Ridge and Myla continue to undergo ongoing training with the Sweetwater Police Department's K9 team to sharpen their skills. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
