• Home
  • Archives
  • Authors
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
Law Officer
Law Officer
No Result
View All Result

Police Officers Witness Memorable Dog Bites

July 13, 2019
byJim McNeff
in K9, War Stories
memorable dog bites

(Courtesy Fountain Valley Police Officers Association)

260
SHARES
1.1k
VIEWS
Share—and speak up for law & order...

Police officers accumulate “war stories” during their careers. At the top of the list are the memorable dog bites they’ve witnessed.

When Bad Guys Run

When bad guys run from cops and temporarily get away, police establish a perimeter. The next call, depending upon availability, is the K9 unit.

Once crooks elude police during a foot chase, they oftentimes hunker down after a few hundred yards because they’ve run out of gas—they can’t breathe, unlike TV where they seem to run forever.

lessons learned
(Photo courtesy Fountain Valley Police Officers Association)

“10-4, I’ll be En-Route”

While they are wheezing trying to get some oxygen and remain quiet in a secreted location, it’s a relief to hear the K9 handler respond over the unit radio, “10-4, I’ll be en-route,” as the dog barks in the background. Somehow, police K9s sense when the call is for their services and they cannot wait to arrive on scene.

Assuming police officers are successful establishing a perimeter before the suspect penetrates containment, chances are real good the K9 will find the knucklehead.

memorable dog bites
(Photo courtesy Fountain Valley Police Officers Association)

Crooks Usually Test Their Luck

Although handlers make required announcements when entering yards and buildings—unless the agency wants to pay large sums of money in civil suits—crooks usually test their luck and remain hidden.

Memorable Dog Bites

Yet as the handlers and police service dogs search the area, there is no mistaking the sound of our four-legged partners finding the criminal who is playing hide and seek. The growling snarl mixed with grunts and groans mean one thing, the dog has its canine teeth hooked onto an arm or leg.

It’s an Unmistakable Joyous Noise

I’m going to risk sounding a bit sadistic, but this is an unmistakable joyous noise to patrol officers. We know the “gig is up”—good guys win, bad guy loses! … And it’s all because suspects refuse to surrender. … Hmmm, too bad!

K9 Shep
K9 Shep capturing auto theft suspect. (Pasco County Sheriff’s Office)

The perpetrator will not only go to jail for whatever the original offense was, but he’ll spend time in a hospital bed getting his wounds treated. … And I’ve seen a few emergency room nurses who’ve demonstrated less sympathy cleaning punctures wound-dog bites than a caustic schoolmarm.

If you’re a cop, think back to the last “find”—when your K9 located a bad guy. Whether it was in the bushes, beneath a car, or tucked away in an alley, the squealing sound of surrender is music to our ears.

True Confession

This article would be incomplete without a true confession. While I’ve witnessed many memorable dog bites during my career, none was as unforgettable as the time I was the one taken to the ground by a K9; not during training, but while searching for a drug trafficker.

“I figured he’d eat me alive, so I climbed the tree.”

– Drug Trafficker

The faux pas occurred while working undercover narcotics. We lost our crook following a vehicle pursuit, yet patrol officers had the area locked down via perimeter. After searching for more than an hour, K9 Ringo decided I was the closest thing to get to a bad guy, so he launched and took me to the ground.

dog bites
(Pixabay)

As fate would have it, the drug trafficker was hiding in a shed on the opposite side of the fence where Ringo “apprehended” me. As a result, he scaled a tree hoping his effort would keep him safe.

Ultimately, we found the bad guy and I got stitched up; no harm, no foul. When interviewing him following the arrest, I asked if he had been in the tree the entire time.

“No way,” he said. “When I heard the dog mauling you, I figured he’d eat me alive, so I climbed the tree.”

How to Talk to a Cop

If you’re not in law enforcement, yet trying to make conversation with someone who is, ask about the last dog bite they were part of. It makes for much better conversation than complaining about the “undeserved” traffic ticket you received.

– Jim McNeff

 

  • Bio

Jim McNeff

Jim McNeff is the managing editor of Law Officer and founder of Badge 145, a ministry geared toward helping police officers and their families. Jim worked in military and civilian law enforcement for thirty-one years. While in the USAF he flew as a crewmember aboard the National Emergency Airborne Command Post—a presidential support detail. Following his military service, he served for twenty-eight years with the Fountain Valley Police Department in Orange County, California where he retired as a lieutenant. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from Southwest University and graduated from the prestigious Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute as well as the IACP course, Leadership in Police Organizations. In addition to being a Medal of Valor recipient, Jim has authored three books: The Spirit behind Badge 145, Justice Revealed, and Jurisdiction.

Share—and speak up for law & order...
Tags: dog bitesK9perimeterpolice K9searchtracking

Related Posts

Viral Video Shows K-9 Officer Punching Partner

January 3, 2021
Texas police K9

Texas police K9 shot pursuing armed suspect

April 6, 2020

Watch: police officer rescues dog from icy pond

February 16, 2020

Police Service Dog Caught Stealing Toys From Santa Foundation

December 21, 2019

They Said He Was Too Much To Handle…

December 16, 2019
bloodhound

Sheriff’s bloodhound finds missing autistic boy in less than 30 minutes

September 18, 2019
Load More

Latest Articles

Florida officer

Florida officer fired for social media posts supporting Capitol riots

January 23, 2021
sanctuary cities

ICE agents told, ‘release them all, immediately’ by new administration

January 23, 2021
stealing coronavirus vaccine

Doctor facing charges of stealing coronavirus vaccine to give to friends and family

January 23, 2021

Former Make-A-Wish Iowa CEO arrested for embezzlement

January 23, 2021

Law in Oklahoma would create hunting season for Bigfoot

January 23, 2021
Courtesy: YouTube

Wisconsin police chief bans Thin Blue Line flag

January 23, 2021
Load More

Liberty University offers affordable tuition—and a 25% discount for law officers and first responders.

Most Popular (Past 7 Days)

President Trump issues executive order protecting law enforcement and their families

January 19, 2021
National Guard

National Guard troops tossed from Capitol, told to rest in parking garage

January 22, 2021
Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris has a message for America after he’s accused of being at DC riots

January 13, 2021
West Virginia mother

Mother ‘not strong enough to fight these demons’ as six are found dead in murder-suicide

January 22, 2021

Police chief dies two weeks after retirement

January 17, 2021
K9 Arlo

K9 Arlo battles for life after being shot in the line of duty

January 20, 2021
California Attorney General

California Attorney General Takes Aim at Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

January 22, 2021

Toledo police officer shot and killed

January 18, 2021
Courtesy: YouTube

Wisconsin police chief bans Thin Blue Line flag

January 23, 2021
Georgia deputy

Dashcam video shows horrific crash severely injuring Georgia deputy

January 19, 2021
Load More

Castro Art: Fallen Heroes 2020

Law Officer

© 2021 Law Officer

  • Home
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Corrections
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Castro Art
  • About Us
  • Authors
  • Contributors
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise

© 2021 Law Officer