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Author Topic:   ‘A wonderful tribute to him’: Law enforcement officers give one last salute to ailing
Dee
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posted December 06, 2014 10:27 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dee     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
VAN BUREN, Maine — Over the past nine years, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer Dennis Kovach witnessed his four-legged partner, Mike, a Belgian Malinois, put in an amazing amount of work for his department and nearby police agencies.

The 11-year-old drug dog, who was based with Kovach out of Maine but worked some details elsewhere in the country, once located 1,305 pounds of marijuana in a single seizure. Another time he detected 50 pounds of cocaine someone was trying to smuggle into the country.

Also trained to find concealed humans, Mike once jumped on the window of a car, triggering further investigation by customs officers. They found someone hiding under three feet of clothes in the back seat.

So when Mike grew sick with an illness and the prognosis was grim, Kovach and customs officials did not want him to suffer. Since Kovach had to have a previous canine euthanized, he knew what to expect as he approached the North Country Animal Hospital in Caribou with a heavy heart on Nov. 25.

What he didn’t expect, however, were the more than a dozen law enforcement officers who came out to give Mike one last salute for all of the hard work the Belgian Malinois put in over the years.

“I was surprised by that,” Kovach said Friday, his voice wavering with emotion and appreciation for the officers from police departments in Penobscot County, Caribou, Presque Isle, Limestone, the Maine Warden Service, Customs and Border Patrol and the Maine State Police who lined the walkway and saluted as Kovach walked the dog into the veterinarian’s office. “I work with a lot of them, so of course Mike did, too. That was a wonderful tribute to him.”

Kovach was connected with Mike by chance. The dog actually was slated to go to a canine handler in another department, but because of a transfer ended up with Kovach instead. The bond was instantaneous.

“I really think he was just happy to get out of that crate in Texas, he probably would have bonded with the first person who opened that door,” Kovach joked. “But he was great. He learned very fast, was very dedicated to the job. These animals are trained to detect objects and are rewarded when they do, and Mike’s reward was playing with a towel. That is all he wanted, every day, was to work hard to get that towel.”

He also said that the dog’s presence helped to calm situations.

“Dogs like that are intimidating,” he said. “People acted differently around me when they knew I had the dog with me. At the same time, Mike was a big hit with kids and we went to a lot of elementary schools and Kiwanis Club events to do demonstrations. I learned to talk to them before I brought the dog in because the minute I did, it was over. They were no longer fixated on me, it was 100 percent just on the dog. Those kids didn’t remember me, but they sure remembered that dog.”

Due to medical issues, Mike was in the process of being retired at the time of his death.

Michelle Benson-Fuller, public affairs specialist for Customs and Border Patrol, said Friday that she was not at all surprised about the final salute to Mike by fellow law enforcement officers.

“These officers are pretty tight and they know the bond between the two,” she said, reflecting on canine and handler. “They are partners. Not only that, since the dogs live with the officers, they are members of the family. They wanted to show that they understood and to offer their support.”

Kovach more than appreciated the support.

“I was honored to see that,” he said.

http://bangordailynews.com/2014/12/05/news/aroostook/a-wonderful-tribute-to-him-law-enforcement-officers-give-one-last-salute-to-ailing-canine/

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Randall
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posted December 07, 2014 05:12 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Randall     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote

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Randall
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posted July 01, 2016 08:55 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Randall     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote

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