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Jake was born June 8,
1992. I brought Jake home when he was two. We began our four month training
as a Police k9 team. The day after graduation we hit the streets and experienced
our first capture. In the following eight years, until Jake's retirement,
we worked a total of 1,201 days, responded to 3,777 patrol calls, observed
878 incidents, participated in 2,228 training exercises (38,085 documented
minutes; 635 hours). Jake was instrumental in 539 service applications; 98
were armed suspects. We captured 168 felons, 49 misdomeanors who would have
gotten away if not for Jake. |
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We
had 34 evidence finds resulting in the recovery of a dozen guns, various items
of clothing left behind that linked a suspect to a crime, and the recovery of
numerous items discarded by the suspect fleeing the scene of the crime - wallets,
purses, briefcases, stolen merchandise, etc. Our normal shift hours were from
8 at night till 4 in the morning but we were also called out from home dozens
of times. Two of the more memorable times were to track the "Hollywood" bank
robbery suspect and to track the suspect who shot a police officer during the
Wells Fargo bank robbery in North Seattle. Jake and I were also called, and
were successful in capturing several suspects for neighboring agencies - King
County PD, Snohomish County PD, Washington State Patrol, Edmonds, Mountlake
Terrace, Mercer Island and Des Moines PD. Jake and I participated in numerous
charity auctions, school demonstrations, fairs, and demo's. He is always a favorite
with children because of his friendly disposition. Jake's most memorable track
occurred when we tracked 3 auto theft suspects who fled from officers after
an extensive pursuit. The suspects had bailed out of the moving car at the top
of a hill, allowing the vehicle to continue on it's own for two blocks before
crashing into the front yard of a residence. With only a vague starting location,
Jake picked up the track on his own and began tracking through dense woods,
steep ravines, residential neighborhoods, power line roads, paved alleys, backyards,
and fences. After over a mile Jake located two of the suspects hiding behind
a car parked in a driveway. Even though fatigued Jake was able to restart and track the remaining suspect, locating him hiding beside
a house nearby. Jake retired from service on June 4th 2002. Since that time
he has adjusted to retirement quite well. The "rules" |
have been relaxed now.
He doesn't have to be quite so obedient and he is allowed to play with the neighborhood
dogs which he loves. Jake and a border collie pup named Payton have become best buds, chasing each other around the yard. He loves when I order pizza because
he patiently awaits the occasional pizza crust that I throw his way. Microwavable
popcorn is also a favorite. And above all, is favorite toy is the large blue
boomer ball that he pushes around the front yard. An invisible leash exists
between us and he follows me wherever I go. When I sleep at night he routinely
comes into the bedroom just to make sure I'm still there. He rarely sleeps in
the bedroom. Rather, he sleeps just outside the door in the hallway, as if to
continuously watch over and protect me, as he's done since we've been together.
Eight years of chasing bad guys, jumping fences, continuous training, and riding
in the back of a patrol car have taken its toll though. He moves much slower
and doesn't get up as fast as he used to. He takes a variety of medications
to ease the discomfort that years of police service have taken. The hardest
part of his retirement is having to leave him at home while I head for work
without him. That's Jake's story. He is literally my life and there isn't anything
I wouldn't do for him. I dread that inevitable day that I know will come and
I pray that God somehow makes it easier on me. Thank you Mike and Ian for maintaining
this retirement fund. Until your dog retires you will never know how much it
means to the retired handlers. |
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