Polson, Ronan police to welcome new K-9s
RONAN POLICE Officer Brandon Smith will be the city's first official K-9 handler. Smith will leave in the coming weeks, driving cross-country to Pennsylvania to pick out a possible K-9, and then the duo will train for six weeks. (Photo provided)
POLSON POLICE Department K-9 Brody is coming up on retirement, after four years with the department. (Photo provided courtesy of Polson Police Department Facebook page)
K-9 BRODY FROM the Polson Police Department is 8 years old, and will retire from his patrolling duties this year. (Photo provided courtesy of Polson Police Department Facebook page)
PACK 4947 of Polson visited Brody and his handler Captain Alan Booth at the Polson Police Department earlier this year. Brody works well with children, oftentimes putting them at ease during stressful calls, Booth explained. As he ages, Brody does more public relations for the department, visiting with local childrens’ groups. (Photo provided courtesy of Polson Police Department Facebook page)
DEBRA BLODGETT, left, is pictured with Polson Police Department Captain Alan Booth on Valentine's Day. Blodgett, who owns Blodgett Creamery in Polson with husband, Jeff, held a donut fundraiser, donating $850 toward a new K-9 for the department. (Photo courtesy of Blodgett Creamery)
When the Polson Police Department set a goal to purchase a new K-9 toward the end of last year and reached out to the public, no one anticipated that in a few short months that goal would be reached.
Through grants, fundraisers and donations, the department has raised about $10,000, Captain Alan Booth said.
“Basically, we set a personal target of $8,000 before we start actively looking for a dog,” Booth said.
Brody, the department’s K-9, is a roughly 8-year-old yellow labrador who is showing signs of aging.
Booth explained that the department doesn’t want to find a dog and not have funding to purchase, train or take care of the new pup.
Depending on the dog, it can cost a varying amount, Booth said.
The department will use a kennel out of Bozeman, where Brody was purchased. It’s not yet known if the new dog will be trained, or a puppy that will need to grow and then be trained with its handler, he added.
“There’s a lot of different avenues we can go with this. We wanted to have the cash to back us.”
While a breed for the new K-9 will not be determined until the prospective handler meets the dogs, Booth said one thing is for sure: the department wants the new officer to have Brody’s casual, laid-back attitude.
“I’ve never seen (Brody) growl. There’s not a mean bone in his body,” Booth remarked of his sidekick.
The dog’s friendly demeanor helps the department teach children about law enforcement.
Brody visits schools and, as Booth explained, sometimes answers calls where children have met him during an educational visit. Once children see Brody during what is otherwise a stressful situation, they feel more comfortable with law enforcement.
“Brody’s basically proven to be worth his weight, 75 pounds, in gold on the public relations side of law enforcement,” Booth said.
Brody’s replacement will not be a “bite dog,” which means there won’t be biting commands learned.
Booth said that the new K-9 will be trained to locate odors, including marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and MDMA, or ecstacy.
To help raise money for the new K-9, the department held a dinner fundraiser at the Elks Lodge in Polson at the beginning of the year.
There, Booth said that more than $1,500 was raised. The Greater Polson Community Foundation also awarded a grant for the new dog as well.
Most recently, a fundraiser at Blodgett Creamery in Polson raised $850 on Valentine’s Day.
Debra Blodgett, an owner of Blodgett Creamery, said it was her husband, Jeff, who came up with the idea to sell donuts for Valentine’s Day.
Noting that her husband has background in law enforcement and their family has dogs, Blodgett said the decision to help with the Polson K-9 was easily made.
The establishment held a Krispy Kreme donut fundraiser to help with the effort.
While 110 dozen donuts were sold at $9 a dozen, Blodgett said people were also donating money independently, allowing the donation to the police department to be higher.
“It sort of helped to move that along, as well,” Blodgett said. “We were able to go farther above than just the profits of (the fundraiser).”
“For us, making that positive contribution and supporting (the department) helps the entire community,” Blodgett said.
In Ronan, the police department is also closer to a new K-9, Chief Kenneth Weaver said.
Next month, Officer Brandon Smith will drive his newly outfitted K-9 car to Sharpsville, Penn., where a male Belgian Malinois will be chosen.
Smith will be in Pennsylvania for six weeks, starting on March 19.
The kennel is the same that Montana Highway Patrol uses, Weaver said.
The new K-9 will be trained to locate drugs as well as defend his handler, he added.
Weaver will meet Smith in Pennsylvania, where together they will meet puppies and see which dog will be the best fit for the city.
Weaver said he’ll take photos of the chosen puppy, and then the community will be invited to participate in a contest to name the dog.
The dog will be paid for by funds made available by the city council, Weaver explained, which is from the general fund.
“We’re very excited. So is the (city) council,” Weaver said.
To stay updated on each police department, vist their Facebook pages; www.facebook.com/polsonpolice, and www.facebook.com/ronanpolicedepartment.