K9 DOES THE UNEXPECTED WHEN HIS PARTNER WAS AMBUSHED BY 3 STRANGE MEN
When they say that dogs are man’s best friends, this sentence has a meaning. First of all, they are loyal, intelligent, and are always ready to make our day special even when they can’t speak the same language as we do. Still, they shower us with lots of love. If you have a dog then you might have seen how they greet you when you finally come back home from work or college or school. They just jump over you, wagging their tale and with a big smile on their face when they see you. Isn’t that beautiful? But not every time. This story would tell you that there are times when things don’t go as smoothly as we expected. You’ll be surprised to see how everything turns out to be at the very last moment. This incident changed a deputy’s life forever.
On Duty Partners
Deputy Todd Frazier from Long Beach, Mississipi who worked with his loyal and intelligent colleague and friend were inseparable. They have worked together in so many cases that brought them really close to each other. One day, Deputy Todd who found himself in the middle of a nightmare. But it was his partner whose behavior made him more nervous and then Lucas did something really unbelievable. What did Lucas do? You’ll find out soon.
Lucas, A K9
Lucas who works with Deputy Todd Frazier was that one friend every police officer needs in every police cars. Though Todd knew that he loved Lucas but there are times when we don’t get the chance to show how much we love our dogs. But that day he Lucas did something that made the deputy speechless. One thing led to another and things changed for both of them.
A Normal Day
Deputy Todd has been working in the force for more than two decades and has experienced all kinds of unlikely situations. However, this particular event left a mark on his life and also made the bond between him and Lucas a memorable one. Thanks to the bond, Todd was aware that he had a partner on whom he could count on and could bet his life. Unfortunately, one-day this pair found themselves in a very disturbing place…
The K9 Dogs
Since the 1970s, K9 has been working with the police departments across the U.S. They have become a crucial part of the departments that without them there are several cases which could never get solved. Have you ever thought where do these amazing dogs come from? How they are trained to be such an amazing creature? How do they even fit between regular and police work life? Are they always this aggressive? Or can they be loving too? Let’s see how these dogs are turned into from being regular dogs to police dogs.
From Dog To A Police Dog
The police departments can procure K9s in two ways. They can buy a “green dog,” which is basically a 7 to 14-month-old that has been trained with basic obedience. The green dog is sent to a 4-12 week training with the officer it has been assigned to. And the other option is to buy a dog which has already gone through this training, and then the dog is assigned to the officer. But how do they decide which officer should get the K9?
The Officer Assigned
The officer to which this amazing K9 is assigned also go through training experience so that he knows how to control the dog. The training is not the difficult part but it is to build the relationship between the K9 and the officer. Even in some of the departments the officer and his partner K9 should be certified by an independent organization. This independent organization could be any department like patrol, narcotics, and bomb detection before they can be fully declared fit for active duty.
Police Dog Training
Police dogs are either trained for “single purpose” or “dual purpose.” So, what do you mean by a single purpose and dual purpose? Single purpose dogs are mostly used in activities like backup, personal protection, and tracking. On the other hand, dual purpose dogs are mostly trained to all sort of activities the single purpose dogs do, in addition to detecting explosives. But how do the dogs get to know if there is an explosive material of some sort?
How Do They Communicate?
The dogs are trained for either detecting the explosives or narcotics, but not both. Why is that? The reason is that dogs can’t communicate with the assigned officer about the material it had found. And if the dog is trained for a specific task then there would be no confusion about the material it has found because a narcotics trained dog would only be able to detect narcotics and the dog which has been trained to detect the explosives items will only be able to detect those which helps the police to take actions accordingly. Did you know why police dogs are trained in German commands?
One Language For All
These dogs are trained in German and K9s in the United States are also trained in the same language. Unknown language gives the owner more control over the dog. Though well-trained dogs don’t respond to anyone other than their owners, still, the German commands give an extra protection layer. But why only German?
Why Only German?
It is believed that the dog training started in Germany and a large percentage of police dogs come from German and European breeders as they are more reputable due to their age-old dog-training tradition.
Aggressive Or Loving?
Just because they are police dogs this doesn’t mean they can’t be loving, they can be both aggressive and loving. For a very long time, there was a misconception about these police dogs that they were aggressive and shouldn’t be kept in the house as a pet like other dogs. But it was just a perception because, in reality, they are just like any other house dogs. And Lucas here is a living example of that. So, what exactly happened that day?
Todd Trained Lucas
After the incident, Sheriff Ricky Adam of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department said in the interview, “Deputy Frazier is a good deputy and takes his job seriously. He is also an excellent dog handler – he trained Lucas himself.” But it wasn’t the training that made Lucas did this. He was working solely on his own intuition. The deputy gave no German commands to Lucas but then why did he do that?
Checking Out The Road
Todd Frazier and his partner Lucas were doing their regular job on a regular day. But little did he know Todd would find himself in the middle of the worst nightmare of his life. Todd was driving outside of the town when he spotted a car that was parked on the side of the road. Naturally, he stopped his car to check if everything was all right. He never would have thought that something this disastrous was about to happen…
Passed Out
As the deputy reached closer to the blue Lincoln Town Car, he saw a man sitting in the front seat. No lights were on and this made him really suspicious. It seemed like the driver had passed out, so he went near to him to see if he can help the man. But what happened next was quite unbelievable. The deputy was prepared for this sudden turns of event.
Never Let Your Guard Down
Frazier wasn’t looking for any big events as it was just Monday. But that car which he saw on the side of the road made him a little suspicious. But as he moved closer to the car with his guard downs as he thought the person in the car has passed out. His gut feeling was telling him that something wasn’t right, but what? That he needs to find out. He brushed off his behavior because he thought there was no need for being paranoid. A moment later he heard a noise that came from the woods which was nothing, but then something was there…
The Noise From The Woods
There was a sound in the woods which made the deputy a little alarmed but then you hear all sort of noises in the woods and this was no different. But you know he was an officer and he had this habit of being extra vigilant in every situation and when he saw a mysterious car his mind thought of sort of backstory for it. He decided to check the noise and see where it was coming from…
Into The Woods
He took out the torch to see the origin of the sound but then how much can you see with the torchlight. He moved further in the woods in the direction of the noise. The noise was coming in breaks and it was getting difficult for deputy Todd to make the direction from which the noise was coming. He didn’t realize that he has come very deep in the forest. It seemed like a waste of time and he went back towards the car only to find himself in the middle of something disastrous.
Unexpected Turn Of Events
After he realized that he has come very deep into the forest he chose to move back to his car leaving the noise back in the forest. As he was walking towards the parked car things seemed the way they were but then as he reached to the spot he was left completely stunned with the view.
Unexpected
Hancock County Sheriff chief investigator Glenn Grannan told that the deputy Todd was searching the car through its windows when the noise got louder, louder, LOUDER and two men jumped on him from behind and started assaulting him. “The deputy tripped and fell to the ground as he was backing away from the vehicle,” said Glenn. They grabbed Todd and then something strange happened.
Towards The Woods
One of the two men grabbed the deputy, dragging him into the woods. Grannan later told even the person who was sitting in the car before was with these two men. He accompanied them and helped the other two. The deputy was struggling very hard and that moment he was feeling really helpless but then he came up with a brilliant idea of fighting back. yeah, you guessed right. Todd was a very lucky man!
The Deputy Was Not Alone
Every day at work, Todd spent his time with his loyal friend and partner Lucas. Lucas did something that we don’t hear every day. Lucas is a black Belgian Malinois who has been trained to be on guard 24/7. Lucas has always been there for Todd but that night he was in the car as Todd didn’t find it important to bring him out. But when Lucas saw his partner being dragged in the woods he wanted to help, but the problem was that he was in the car and the car was locked.
Was An Ambush
During the press release, Glenn Grannan told that there were three men who attacked the deputy Todd. “They ambushed him, cut him on the forehead with a sharp object and dragged him into the woods.” But Todd who knew that he has a trump card hidden up his sleeve hit a button around his neck. Can you guess what that button did?
A Man’s Best Friend
The button around the deputy’s neck was remote to unlock the door of the patrol car. And the moment Lucas heard the car door opened he ran towards Todd. The attackers thought there was no way anyone would ever come here in the woods to save the deputy but then Lucas bolted towards one of the attackers from the back and bit one of the attackers.
A Life And Death Situation
It was a life and death situation for the deputy as the attackers kept saying that they would slit his throat in the middle of the woods where no one would be able to find him. Obviously, he was terrified hearing this as he didn’t want this kind of end. But then Lucas was there to save his friend and partner. Sheriff Ricky Adam said that it was all because of Lucas and Todd was saved.
He Was Like A Wolf
Todd recalled the events, “I could hear him coming. I couldn’t see anything because the blood was all in my eyes, but I could hear him coming, growling and making these sounds… he sounded like a wolf.” Lucas who has been trained to spot the danger through a person’s body language was able to take action on his own and attacked the attackers.
The Enraged K9 Attacks!
Lucas jumped to bit one of the three attackers, who started to run away towards their car. But Lucas wouldn’t let go of his leg and as a result, Lucas was left with a hurt shoulder, a torn ligament, and a few teeth cut from the gums. But the dog acted like he was saying, “you should see the other guys!”
Calling For Reinforcement
Todd stood up and called for backup and an ambulance because he was bleeding heavily. He was taken to the Hancock Medical Center where he was admitted for a night before he was relieved. But what happened to the attackers and most importantly what about Lucas?
Who Were the Attackers?
Deputy Todd wasn’t the first to get attacked like this as there have been some several attacks too in the area. “We get a BOLO (be-on-the-lookout) from the state alerting us that the Gangster Disciples have put out an SOS, or Shoot on Sight, for police officers,” said Chief Deputy Don Bass who thinks what happened to deputy Todd should be a wake-up call for the whole department.
Todd Could Have Died
“They told him they were going to slit his throat, and they were dragging him toward the woods. We’re not a large agency, and all these guys have families.” All thanks to Lucas, because of him Todd was left with few injuries and a cut on his forehead. After this incident, Todd took a decision that changed his life forever.
Covered In Blood
Lucas was covered in blood which was not his. The blood was of Todd’s attackers. Lucas did manage to bite all of them once before they ran away from the scene. Lucas’ action tells us how much he loves Todd. On the department’s Facebook page they described Lucas’ heroic action and how he managed to save Todd.
Saving His Life
If Lucas wouldn’t have been there, Todd wouldn’t have been still alive as the attackers seemed pretty much serious when they said they will harm Todd in all sort of possible ways. Todd was also thankful for the advanced technology through which he was able to call for help. Lucas has proved that K9 units are the necessities for the officers.
“He Is A Deputy”
“He would put his life on the line for me. He is a deputy. I would die for him too,” said Deputy Todd. Lucas even received the ‘Hero of the Year’ award which was given to him from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department.
Lucas And Todd Are Inseparable
After this episode, Todd decided to retire from being an active officer and Lucas also retired shortly after. They both are together. Adam said that nobody could say anything to Todd on his decision as such an attack could influence anybody. The case is still open and the department is working hard to catch the attackers. After this event, the same remote system which was installed in Todd’s car has been installed in every police cars and a dog shelter has been built at the station for the K9 units.
Special Breeds
In West Michigan, K9 is mostly made of two breeds for both military and protection work, German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois. Other than these two breeds Labrador retrievers and giant schnauzers are also used in police work. These breeds are born hunters and due to this reason, they are put into police works. But there are a few conditions before they can be admitted for police work.
Conditions Apply
Not all dogs can be admitted for police works. The dogs should have a natural drive for ball drive which is that they should really be into play fetch. They also need to be smart, obviously, but they should also be social by nature because in police work they meet different people on a regular basis.
Is Gender Important?
This question is hotly debated in the service dog industry. Some believe that both male and female catch up the training at the same speed. But there are few who believe that male dogs should be put in police work as they are always “on.” On the other hand, female dogs do get moody sometimes and disobey the orders.
What After The Duty?
Yes, even the dogs can opt out of the police dog school but that only happens due to health-related issues or injury. And if a dog flunks out of the training, they are reassigned for other services like service dogs for emotional support. And if reassignment is out of the question then they are put into a foster until they can get a permanent home.
Other Training
The dogs who are selected for police works are also trained for lights and sirens. In that training, dogs start to pick up the sound of sirens, the same way they identify home bells. The trained dogs get super excited after hearing the sirens as they get know that they would be leaving for work now.
Lucas, The Saviour
After this incident, one thing is for sure that the deputy Todd trained Lucas really well. Lucas was active, loyal, and ready for any type of action in the field. He was so familiar with the body language because even without hearing a single word from Todd’s mouth he was able to make what his partner needed and he has to do something and he did what he does best.
Todd And Lucas
We wish they stay together all their lives and their bond has proved why dogs are known to be human’s best friend. Though the incident was literally heart-breaking and terrifying, still this all turned out for something positive as the department became more aware of the situations. We wish incidents like this doesn’t happen to any police officer ever again.
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