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Bomb Dog Blues
May 20, 2016
— 2 Comments
ready to rock
Officer McCusker
JR, bomb dog
the bomb squad
JR, bomb dog
the bomb squad
JR, bomb dog
I met Officer Rob McCusker ,who trains dogs to detect explosives at TPD, last November when he was training a new puppy. I featured Officer Cookie in a post because she was so sweet and friendly to meet as a youngster. When I saw Officer Rob yesterday I asked about Cookie. She has moved to Anchorage Alaska to work for a private security firm. It turned out that Cookie was doing well with her training until the time came to go outside. It became apparent that she just did not have the right stuff to be a bomb squad professional. I could tell listening to him tell the story that this had been a very heart wrenching experience for Officer Rob because their bond was very tight. They put in many months of training. Finally the breeder where she was born was consulted, and they decided together that there were no more training moves to be made to improve her skills. She had to retire from her law enforcement career.
The great news is that she nabbed a job in Alaska in which she never needs to go outside. She lives in a nice home up there and still has a place in the professional sniffing dogs universe. Since she is a dog she may not really think of us any more, but we remember her fondly and thank her for her service. The other fabulous piece of news is that JR, the bomb detecting dog who had retired at the McCusker family home at the age of 10, is back to work. Nobody could be more delighted than JR. He is extremely affectionate, and glad to be back at his job. He does not mind one tiny bit filling in while a new recruit is trained in the thousands of scents they must learn to detect explosives. It is old hat to him, and he is the life of the party. He is impressive in every way. He gets a bath about every 10 days to make sure his own scent does not interfere with his missions. He must be the cleanest black lab in the world. He is shiny, healthy and happy. It was a pleasure to meet him at thank a cop day, out of retirement having a wonderful time. JR is the bomb.
K-9 Cuties of the Tucson Police Department
November 9, 2015
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not real dogs
At the Cops and Rodders Car Show citizens have the chance to meet the police force. At the top of the popularity list are the canine cops. They attract everyone’s attention, from small children to senior citizens. I met Officer Evo last year and discovered that K-9 cops can have very sweet and social personalities. I am sure he would prefer to be riding in his car on the way to a case because he loves to do his regular job. But when his work includes posing for the camera or generally charming the crowd he fulfills his duty with personality and style.
strike a pose with Evo
strike a pose with Evo
strike a pose with Evo
center of attention
Officer Evo himself
charming the crowd
Officer Evo himself
Officer Evo Charms the Crowd
A new dog was making her first appearance at the car show this year. Officer Cookie is a Labrador Retriever who is a specialist working for the bomb squad. She is in training to learn many thousands of different explosive components by scent. She is only two years old, so she exhibits puppy enthusiasm al the time. She had some trouble containing herself during the national anthem to everyone’s delight. Since bomb dogs work in crowds her friendly attitude is essential to her job performance. She has less general and more specific training as a cop. She will not learn to do many of the things Evo does because she is all about explosives.
Officer Cookie makes friends
Officer Cookie makes friends
While Officer Evo handled his adoring fans I had a chance to talk to Officer Rumsley, his trainer and partner, about the work they do. Evo is a Belgian Malinois, also sometimes called a Belgian Shepard. He was born in Czech Republic where the breed is raised for sport. He was trained by Officer Rumsley and goes home at night to live at the Rumsley home. He does not play with other dogs out in the world but he has a canine friend at home. When they go searching together they look for drugs or people, one at a time. When Evo gets as close as he can get to the source of the scent he scratches in the case of drugs or barks when he finds people. He does communicate clearly, but Officer Rumsley always initiates everything they do. Evo does not, like Lassie, ever say to Officer Rumsley “Timmy has fallen in the well. Come quickly!” They work as a team with Officer Rumsley making all the decisions. This seems like the best format because underneath his extensive discipline and training he is still a dog. It is always a treat to get to see him.
Officer Rumsley
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