After 8 years, Warren police dog Maxx enters retirement

By Ed Runyan

runyan@vindy.com

WARREN

Here’s how Lt. Greg Coleman of the Warren Police Department sums up having a police dog as a partner: “It’s like having a 2-year-old.”

His partner for the last eight years, Maxx, retired after his shift Thursday.

When he and Maxx were working together, he never let Maxx get too hot in a squad car or actually hurt anyone.

Even though Maxx lives at Coleman’s house, and they have a special bond, Coleman can never forget that Maxx is trained to dish out punishment and help catch criminals.

“He will bite if he’s on guard. That’s his job – to protect the handler,” Coleman said.

Coleman has taken Maxx many times to schools or other places to give adults and children a demonstration.

“I’m the only one who can pet him,” Coleman said, noting children are not allowed to pet the 10-year-old Belgian Malinois.

Now that Maxx has retired, the relationship between man and dog will stay much the same.

“I have to buy him for a dollar,” Coleman said. “I wouldn’t want anybody to have him. ”

Warren’s two police dogs are used primarily to sniff out narcotics and to find and apprehend people.

Once in Niles, Maxx tracked and found a gun, mask and cellphone 30 minutes after a robbery took place, Coleman said.

Maxx and the young dog taking his place, Heros, also a Belgian Malinois, were purchased from Dave Blosser of Tri-State Canine Services of Warren.

Blosser, a police dog handler for the Weathersfield Police Department, has provided Warren police with all of their dogs since 2004. Blosser usually works with a dog for a month or two before it is turned over to a handler.

Heros’ cost to the police department is $13,500, which is one reason being a handler is a multiyear commitment for the officer.

Handling Heros is officer Justin Fenstermaker, who was hired in November 2013. They are expected to work their first shift together Sunday.

Fenstermaker and Heros have been together for about two months in training.

“We’re fully hoping to get 10 years out of him,” Fenstermaker said of his new partner.

Fenstermaker and Capt. Jeff Cole agree a K-9 officer has the ability to make a suspect take notice.

“They have a certain presence,” Cole said. “If you are at a traffic stop and were thinking about taking off, it might change your mind.”