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GSRNE's Working Dog K9 Spotlight
Meet K9 Bullet |
| Down and out does not really come close to describing Bullet’s situation
before we got a hold of him. Chained to a doghouse in the snow filled yard
of a Massachusetts shelter, Bullet was actually one of the luckier dogs
there. Unwanted or lost, he had landed in a shelter run by an animal
control officer suffering from mental illness. Sick and perhaps unaware,
the ACO stopped going to the shelter, stopped giving the animals in his
care food and water for weeks. Some inside the building died and became
food for their barely living kennel mates. Outside, with snow to eat,
Bullet was lucky indeed. When the shelter was raided he was discovered out back. He was starving, sick and full of worms… but alive. What turned into a rather high profile incident brought a lot of attention to Bullet and his plight. He was taken in by well meaning would be owners. As his health began to return so did his energy and drive. This high drive, energy ball, prey monster was no pet dog. The well-intentioned pet home was completely out of its league, and they knew it. They were put in touch with GSRNE. GSRNE had not a doggie bed to spare, but we were able to intervene on Bullet’s behalf and find him temporary safe refuge at the Animal Rescue League of Boston. Once we evaluated Bullet he showed us just why the pet home had been taxed beyond its abilities. Experienced evaluator Janice saw a stable, confident, prey driven dog with good focus and work ethic. This boy needed a job. The GSRNE Working Dog Program contacted the New Hampshire State Police K9 unit and the rest, as they say, is history. No more snow cones for dinner. Together with handler Trooper Robert Haase, K9 Bullet spends his time making a difference, giving back and shining on. GSRNE volunteers and support of the GSRNE Working Dog Program make happy endings, like K9 Bullet’s, possible. |
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For many, this boy needs no introduction. His appearances on the Animal Planet “K9 to 5” show and his story in the K9 to 5 book make him GSRNE Working Dog Program’s most well known K9. Just like many famous individuals, however, he has a modest and troublesome beginning. Left tied to a doorknob all day while his owner was at work, 8 week old Nikki had something to cry about…and he did, so much so that the owner’s landlord, hearing him cry day after day, agreed to assume care for him when the owner moved out of his apartment. The kind landlord had Nikki until he was 3 months old. As Nikki grew so did his energy level, his wild desire to play with toys and objects of all kinds and his boredom at not having something to do. The landlord thought his daughter and her husband might be better able to care for Nikki, so he went to live with them. Home alone all day while his new owners worked and let loose without a fenced area for safe play, Nikki would wander the neighborhood and get into trouble. His owner’s meant well but knew nothing about obedience or how to handle a high energy, high drive dog. Almost a year after taking Nikki, the couple admitted that they had taken on more of a dog then they wanted, or knew how, to handle. Nikki was high maintenance. He required too much time and attention, was prone to barking and wandering and clearly needed structure and obedience. The couple reluctantly put him in a shelter. GSRNE was able to take him into foster care and found a place for him where all his wild energy and drives would be coveted. Nikki went to work for the United States Coast Guard. Trained as a narcotics detection “K9”, he became that famous boy in books and on television. No longer the headache that nobody wanted Nikki had found his true calling. Nikki’s ability to scent out drugs was so good that when his handler, Chief Rusty Merritt, retired from the Coast Guard he felt it only fair to find his partner a new job. He knew Nikki thrived on being a working dog and doing his job well. Nikki was still young and history had shown that a pet only lifestyle would not suite him. Nikki found another job and a great family life with his new partner- Sergeant Art Cunio of the Surf City Police Department in North Carolina. Nikki is the best drug dog the department-head has ever seen. He and Sergeant Cunio continue to find the drugs and keep their community safe. Nikki’s rags-to-riches story was made possible by GSRNE volunteers and by donations to the working dog fund. |
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Not too long ago, a Boston MA area animal shelter was facing a difficult decision- what to do with Wolfgang. At the age of two years, Wolfgang was energetic, pushy, intense and full of drive. Not the kind of dog who would be a good pet for most families. With kennel space evaporating, Wolf’s time was running out. It was becoming clear that he would not be suitable for a pet home. Most pet owners would not want, or be able to handle, a dog like Wolf…yet, there was something really special about him. The way he was always ready for a game of fetch or ‘find the toy’. The way he looked at you, wanting to be with you and…do something. The Boston shelter contacted GSRNE. GSRNE pet placement coordinators agreed with the Boston shelter. Wolf was not appropriate for a pet home and with lack of proper supervision and training would very likely end up back in a shelter or pound…or worse. Fortunately there was an alternative solution- the GSRNE Working Dog Program. Wolfgang may have been the wrong candidate for pet but he was just the right candidate for “K9” service dog. Wolfgang was placed in a foster home and cared for till a suitable unit and handler were found. Now Wolfgang is doing what he was meant to do, working with Trooper Erik Ramsland and the Massachusetts State Police K-9 Unit. GSRNE volunteers and charitable donations to The Working Dog Fund made Wolfgang’s placement possible. |
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On a damp and breezy day I first met Fritz- a dog who was not cutting it in his “family pet” role. Tied out back, because his activity level and high maintenance temperament did not fit his family’s life style, he became a barker. He disturbed the neighborhood, he bothered the owners, he became a nuisance to live with, and he had to go. A local dog groomer who had met Fritz and was familiar with his situation felt that Fritz deserved a life more appropriate to his needs. He was a good dog… just bored, neglected and frankly a pain in the butt for a pet home to deal with. The dog groomer called GSRNE. On that damp breezy day I saw a confident, casually friendly but aloof boy who would sell his soul for a ball…or jute roll, or kong toy or any toy you had and wanted to play with. After a short game of fetch, I hid the ball in some tall grass while Fritz was not looking. The game was afoot! Fritz did not give up searching ‘till he found that ball. He scented it out with a focused intensity…all this with not one day of training. I could see why Fritz was exhibiting destructive or annoying boredom behaviors. He needed a job to do. Now Fritz is using his natural ability every day. No more chain in the back yard. Together with Trooper Michael Real of the Connecticut State Police K-9 Unit he spends his time tracking suspects, finding lost children and serving his community in a myriad of ways- most recently, searching at ‘ground zero’ in New York City for nine days. GSRNE volunteers and charitable donations to The Working Dog Fund made Fritz’s placement possible. |
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