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“Man’s best friend”: Handler recalls bond with retiring Struthers police dog
By Sarah Lehr
STRUTHERS
Rebel plans to spend his retirement from the Struthers Police Department chewing on Milk Bones.
The 70-pound Belgian Malinois became the department’s police dog in 2008.
When he worked with the police, Rebel never indulged in treats or toys. Under his training, the dog was allowed only to play with a piece of string as a reward for completing a task.
Officer Jason Murzda, Rebel’s former handler, said since Rebel retired this year, the dog has learned to appreciate a less disciplined existence. Nonetheless, Murzda believes Rebel would jump back into service at a moment’s notice.
“Something I could say about Rebel is, he loved getting in the car every day and going to work,” Murzda said. “He loved attention from everyone.”
Murzda broached the subject of acquiring a police dog soon after Mayor Terry Stocker started his first term in office. The city launched a fundraising campaign and, with the hope of local groups and residents, purchased Rebel for $11,000.
Rebel was imported from Europe, complete with a passport and a chip in his neck in case he gets lost. Because Rebel spent the first year and a half of his life in the Netherlands, he responds only to commands in Dutch.
Murzda learned those commands during his six-week handler’s course at Shallow Creek Kennels of Sharpsville, Pa.
Rebel completed his own initial training in addition to 16 hours of maintenance training each month to be recertified as a police dog.
The dog assisted police with a variety of operations, including searches and narcotics detection.
Though marijuana is a fairly easy smell for humans to detect, other narcotics, such as heroin and methamphetamine, are more difficult.
“When it comes to harder odors, it’s second-to-none,” Murzda said of the dog’s capability.
Murzda said he’s witnessed Rebel finding a gun that was buried in waist-deep snow; Stocker recalled another instance in which Rebel jumped atop a full-size van.
The city will replace Rebel with another police dog - Kalu, a Belgian Malinois and German shepherd mix.
Rebel will spend the rest of his days living at Murzda’s home with his former handler’s other Belgian Malinois, a female named Kimber.
“It’s indescribable,” Murzda said of his bond with Rebel. “I mean, him and I have been together for almost 10 years, every day of our lives. There’s a reason why they call him man’s best friend. He’s never let me down.”