A pound puppy becomes a police dog

Sunday, November 2, 2008

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Rezadu was living in a shelter before he was rescued and trained to be a K-9.

POLK COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- A puppy who faced death if no one adopted him is now spending his days catching criminals.

Detective J.D. Maney came to the Polk County Animal Shelter a few months back, but unlike many who visit the shelter, he wasn't looking for a pet. Instead, he was looking for a new partner.

When Maney's previous partner was retired due to health problems, his boss at the Polk County Sheriff's Office said they didn't have $5,000 to buy a new K-9.

So Maney came to the shelter and tested several dogs for alertness and a lack of fear. Maney, who had worked with five dogs in the past, knew exactly what he was looking for in a partner.

He finally found a Labrador mix that passed his tests with confidence.

"Everything you could think of...is the dog afraid to do it?" Maney said. "He had no problem with all of it."

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So Maney adopted the dog and named him Rezadu.

He spent the next 12 weeks teaching Rezadu how to sniff out drugs from cars, buildings and boxes.

"He surprised me," Maney said.

Rezadu has come a long way since his days at the shelter. In August, he earned national certification through the North American Police Work Dog Association, the first rescue dog to do so with the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

The pair started working the streets as a team last month, and already Rezadu has shown his worth as a police dog.

"When Rezadu came down the van, he stopped, went up and sniffed the handle and sat, which is the non-aggressive alert we train him for," Maney said. "I opened it up and right there by the seat was a big piece of rock cocaine."

Sheriff's officials are now calling Rezadu a valued member of the agency. They also say that Maney saved a life, while saving them money at the same time.

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