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Police retire one canine, and welcome another
By Billy Ludt
CANFIELD
Every dog has its day, and for police dogs Rocky and Thor, their day was Tuesday.
The Canfield Police Department officially celebrated at Canfield City Hall the induction of its new police dog Rocky and the retirement of veteran police dog Thor.
After eight years on the force, Thor, 11, was given a badge of service from Chief Chuck Colucci and a send-off from the department.
Thor was no longer able to perform his duties after he was diagnosed with arthritis and hip displasia, a common condition in German shepherds. He stopped working on the force in March, but despite his maladies, Thor maintains a positive demeanor. At the party, he greeted attendees, played with toys, posed for photos and, on multiple occasions, perused the refreshments table.
“He’s like a puppy in the hay,” said Chad DeBarr, the canine unit’s officer. “He’ll play forever.”
In November, Thor was responsible for tracking a little girl in North Jackson who ran away from home. Doctors told DeBarr that if Thor found her 20 minutes later, she would have succumbed to hypothermia.
Police dogs and handlers for Boardman, Springfield township and the Mahoning County sheriff’s departments, with whom DeBarr trains alongside weekly, were present for the ceremony.
Colucci said the department had some financial concerns when Thor had to stop working, and was unsure of whether it could afford a replacement.
The city was subject to cutbacks, and a new police dog wasn’t in the cards.
When Thor could no longer work, the department wasn’t going to be able to continue the police dog program, he said.
The Rotary Club of Canfield gave the department a grant of $14,000 to purchase Rocky. The club’s yearly fundraising efforts left it with excess funds, enough for purchase of the dog.
“Canfield Police Department gives so much to us, so it was nice to give back,” said Don Dragish Jr., city council member and personal relations chairman for the rotary.
Rocky is a Croatian-born Dutch shepherd. The department purchased him from Shallow Creek Kennels in Sharpsville, Pa., a kennel responsible for breeding, training and importing police dogs to serve on area forces.
Rocky is a dual-purpose canine, which means he’s trained in tracking, drug detection, handler protection and area, building and article searches. DeBarr said Rocky already has found drugs on searches in his short time on the force.