'Justice' on duty
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Justice is on duty in Kosciusko County because of a Homeland Security Grant.
The newest sheriff's department K9 officer is a Dutch Shepherd from Holland and has a nose for explosives. Justice was introduced to the county commissioners Tuesday.
Handler Craig Bale said Justice is friendly to people, but not overly interested in them, like all K9 officers.
Justice is trained to detect explosives, track and apprehend suspects, search buildings and articles and protect his handler.
Bale trained with Justice at the Allen County Sheriff's Department K9 Training Center for four months, where Justice logged more than 658 training hours.
"The Dutch don't care how they look," Bale said of the 3-year-old gold-brindle male, "they care how they work."
Justice has the large ears characteristic of the Shepherd breed. His back is straight and sturdy, without the sloping from shoulder to hip characteristic of the German Shepherd breed. Bale said the Dutch breed isn't susceptible to hip dysplasia either.
In addition to daily exercises, the pair train once a week with the Warsaw and Winona Lake K9s, who are both narcotic dogs, and once a month with the Fort Wayne explosive ordinance dogs.
Bale never knows when they will be called to assist in tracking or asked to sniff out an explosive.
Bale remembers the first time he and Justice were called into service to assist the Indiana Department of Corrections, though. Last December the pair went to Pendleton. Justice and Fort Wayne's K9 Zorro spent 48 hours searching all of the prison cells and dormitories - approximately 2,000 searches.
"Whenever he got the chance to lay down, he just went to sleep."
Justice's reward is a ball to chew.
Would he detect an explosive device without being commanded to search?
"Just on the street?" Bales said. "It depends on if he has his ball or not."
Justice's resume« includes several "street finds" of explosive material and explosives.
The human officer and his canine officer have assisted 11 agencies and works extensively with the Fort Wayne Police Department Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit in training and on calls.
This is Bale's second "police" dog. He has a retired 13-year-old at home who patrols his property and keeps an eye on Bale's young children.
"He still feels he has a job to do," Bales said of the older animal. [[In-content Ad]]
Justice is on duty in Kosciusko County because of a Homeland Security Grant.
The newest sheriff's department K9 officer is a Dutch Shepherd from Holland and has a nose for explosives. Justice was introduced to the county commissioners Tuesday.
Handler Craig Bale said Justice is friendly to people, but not overly interested in them, like all K9 officers.
Justice is trained to detect explosives, track and apprehend suspects, search buildings and articles and protect his handler.
Bale trained with Justice at the Allen County Sheriff's Department K9 Training Center for four months, where Justice logged more than 658 training hours.
"The Dutch don't care how they look," Bale said of the 3-year-old gold-brindle male, "they care how they work."
Justice has the large ears characteristic of the Shepherd breed. His back is straight and sturdy, without the sloping from shoulder to hip characteristic of the German Shepherd breed. Bale said the Dutch breed isn't susceptible to hip dysplasia either.
In addition to daily exercises, the pair train once a week with the Warsaw and Winona Lake K9s, who are both narcotic dogs, and once a month with the Fort Wayne explosive ordinance dogs.
Bale never knows when they will be called to assist in tracking or asked to sniff out an explosive.
Bale remembers the first time he and Justice were called into service to assist the Indiana Department of Corrections, though. Last December the pair went to Pendleton. Justice and Fort Wayne's K9 Zorro spent 48 hours searching all of the prison cells and dormitories - approximately 2,000 searches.
"Whenever he got the chance to lay down, he just went to sleep."
Justice's reward is a ball to chew.
Would he detect an explosive device without being commanded to search?
"Just on the street?" Bales said. "It depends on if he has his ball or not."
Justice's resume« includes several "street finds" of explosive material and explosives.
The human officer and his canine officer have assisted 11 agencies and works extensively with the Fort Wayne Police Department Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit in training and on calls.
This is Bale's second "police" dog. He has a retired 13-year-old at home who patrols his property and keeps an eye on Bale's young children.
"He still feels he has a job to do," Bales said of the older animal. [[In-content Ad]]