Latest news with #SpringerSpaniel
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
K-9 Crook joins the Bluefield Police Department
bluefield – K-9 Crook still has a lot of puppy energy and enthusiasm in him, but that's helping launch his career as a bomb-sniffing and evidence-finding dog for the Bluefield Police Department. The department's new recruit was circling his handler, Lt. Brian Copenhaver, when they arrived at the police station Monday. Crook, a Springer Spaniel, is about 2-years-old. 'We ordered Crook from Guardian Farms in Ona, Copenhaver said while the new recruit enjoyed all the attention. 'His specialty is bombs, so he's a bomb dog and article search. We actually named him Crook after Lt. Crook, who had died in the line of duty eight years ago, and we wanted to remember Crook and this way every time we go out and do a demonstration in the community, for the schools, any of that, it allows us to talk about Crook, what he had done here, his legacy here, and we wanted to do that through our dog here.' The late Lt. Aaron L. Crook died in the line of duty on May 30, 2017 after pulling over a suspected drunk driver at Lee Street and two law enforcement cruisers that were headed to the scene collided. He had been with the department since 2008. In May 2019, a section of Princeton Avenue was named the Bluefield Police Lt. Aaron L. Crook Memorial Road in his honor. K-9 Thor, who has been with the department for years, is still doing things like going to local schools, but the department decided to acquire a bomb dog. 'Kids love to pet Thor and Thor loves going out, but we know it's only a matter of time before Thor does retire and what we wanted to do was go ahead and start a younger dog out and get him going to be able to do the same things that Thor did,' Copenhaver said. Tail wagging, Crook tried climbing onto Copenhaver's desk and jumped out of his chair at one point. 'As you can tell, still very much puppy,' he said. 'Wants to work all the time. Very hyper.' Crook was chosen because Springer Spaniels have a lot of energy, which makes them very good search dogs, Copenhaver said. There are a lot of bird dogs in the law enforcement community now because they have good health and long lifespans. 'And they have high drives, which means they search really, really well,' Copenhaver said. 'And he wants to go right now.' The police department acquired Crook last April. Copenhaver contacted Guardian Farms and described the sort of dog that the department wanted. The owners, Kyle Patton and Levi Livingston, are both retired law enforcement officers in West Virginia and part of the West Virginia Police K-9 Association. 'I called them and explained to them what I wanted,' he said. 'They jumped on it and they were able to find him and train him up and got him ready for us. We actually went to a seminar the first part of April. We're certified through the West Virginia Police K-9 Association and he's ready to go. He's ready to work.' Crook can detect multiple odors that are in bombs. He also does what is called article search. If somebody leaves behind evidence of a crime, Crook can help locate it, Copenhaver said. Copenhaver had Crook demonstrate his sniffing capabilities before taking him outside. Yvonne Harris, a retired teacher living in Bluefield, watched the excited spaniel. 'I think he's cute as he can be,' she said. 'What kind of dog is he? He's bomb sniffing?' She asked about Crook's breed. 'A Springer Spaniel? My aunt had one of those,' Harris said. 'Look at him go. They are very active little dogs.' Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Beloved dog left with horrific injuries after being bitten by venomous snake during walk through housing estate
A dog suffered horrific injuries when it was bitten by a venomous adder while out on a walk through a housing estate. Owner Adam Penn's nine-year-old Springer Spaniel Willow was left with a shocking open wound on her face, leaving Adam with a £2,500 vet bill. Adam first noticed Willow had swelling behind her head and a lack of appetite. Initially he believed she had been stung by a wasp. Her symptoms got worse and the lump became an open wound. Adam took her to the vets where they discovered Willow had been bitten by a venomous adder. Adders are the only venomous snake in Britain, while their venom is of little danger to humans, a bite can prove fatal for dogs. Adam, a dad-of-two, said: 'I was really shocked. 'She's unlucky but she's lucky to be alive. If it was a smaller dog, then it could have been fatal.' Willow was placed on a drip and given antibiotics, as it was too late for her to be given anti-venom medication. She is still on antibiotics and painkillers and she will need ultraviolet light treatment which will help the healing process and so far, the vets have charged Adam £2,500. Adam, of Northwich, Cheshire, said: 'It was really touch and go because her blood pressure had dropped. 'She's nine-years-old but she's a young nine so before this had happened, I thought we might have another six or seven years with her. 'I didn't question saving her - I asked the vets to do what he could do with her. 'When the anaesthetic had worn off, she started to recover and she's just been a fighter.' Adders normally live in open habitats like heathland, moorland, woodland edges and coastal areas so Adam, a manager of a pub, was shocked that Willow was bitten while walking on a housing estate. He said: 'I live on a normal housing estate. 'But around six or seven years ago, I saw an adder - we have a river near us so that's where they are expected to be. 'We were in the middle of the houses so to find out that it's an adder, was scary. 'My whole family also weren't aware that adders could be in the middle of a housing estate.' According to the Pet Health Club, every dog can react differently to an adder bite but some symptoms could be having two small puncture wounds, drooling, bruising, swelling and an increased heart rate. Adam, who is originally from Warrington, Cheshire, now wants other animal owners to look out for the symptoms and signs that their pet has been attacked by an adder. He said: 'Dogs can get bitten by adders on their neck or on their nose or on their bellies when they are rooting through bushes. 'You need to realise when your pet isn't normal and then investigate it.' Last month, a Jack Russell was killed after being bitten by the venomous snake in Thetford Forest, Suffolk. The family dog, Donnie, was out being walked by Logan Mathers, 17, when an adder shot out and bit the two-year-old Jack Russell on the face. Donnie was taken straight to a vet for treatment while slipping in and out of consciousness. Logan's 19 year-old-sister, Molly, rushed to meet her brother who was left 'traumatised', and little Donnie's health deteriorated despite being given anti-venom medication and antibiotics. Sadly, the beloved family pet died in the early hours of Saturday morning, mother Ali said. She said: 'The whole family went over on Saturday morning to say goodbye to our beautiful boy. 'He really was so full of life. 'We are absolutely heartbroken and just can't believe it. We want to stop another dog being hurt.' The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) advise that swelling can cause serious problems to dogs if bitten on the face or neck - and the venom can cause severe illness and death.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
Meet the QC Bomb Squad dogs that sniff out the threat of explosives
On Tuesday April 15, a bomb threat closed down streets around the Scott County Courthouse and Jail. Luckily, Maggie with the Quad City bomb squad was able to sniff the container and find that there was no threat. Maggie is a Springer Spaniel bomb dog who uses her nose to detect explosives. While she may not look like a typical police dog, her work is important. Along with her coworker, Labrador Retriever Kelce, they are able to help keep the Quad Cities safer. The dogs undergo a five-week training at Cedar Creek Kennels. Rock Island County Deputy Steve Rusk trained with Maggie at Cedar Creek and also continues training at the QC Canine Club. He says every day is an opportunity to learn something new with his canine companions. 'You're not gonna fool the dog. The problems that you run into aren't the dog, they're yourself. The dog – they're spot on. They're not gonna make a mistake.' said Rusk The dogs are trained to associate the smell of explosives with their toys. To them detecting a bomb is no different than playtime. Rusk says Maggie is an energetic dog and that is something that's necessary for the work they do. 'I keep her with that high drive and keep her wanting to hunt and search locate.' At the end of the day the dogs go home and live with their partners. 'It's a 24 hour a day job because if you're off that day you still have to take care of the dog and work with them.' He adds when it's time to go to work Maggie is ready. 'She knows when you get the leash out its time to go to work and she knows what she has to do.' When Maggie or Kelce detect a threat, that's when the commander of the QC Bomb Squad, Rock Island County Deputy Marcus Herbert, comes in. He goes through a process to verify what the dog is sniffing is explosive, and x-rays the device to identify it. Herbert says even in instances where they have found real bombs, he is confident in his training. He was trained at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, and says the training is a cross between the military, FBI, and ATF. 'I'm very confident in the training that they provide us and taking care of things, we need to when the situations arise.' he adds 'I really want to thank the men and women who are in our military. Without them bringing the information back to us we wouldn't have any idea how to do these things.' Herbert says even though he is confident in his training, having the bomb dogs with him brings him comfort. 'She's got a very good nose on her. She hasn't failed us yet.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
