Public submits 1,300 names for new K-9

by Dennis Dalman

editor@thenewsleaders.com

A 1-year-old German shepherd at the Benton County Sheriff’s Department has lots of well-wishers – 1,300 to be exact.

The dog is the department’s new K-9 patrol dog. After he arrived in Benton County from Slovakia in eastern Europe, the sheriff’s department employees asked the public to submit names for the new recruit. In just a few weeks, the department received the astonishing number of suggestions – 1,300 – and 600 of those are now on a “finals” list.

Benton County Sheriff Troy Heck told the Sauk Rapids-Rice Newsleader that a name for the new dog will be announced possibly by the end of this week. The name will be chosen by the dog’s handler, Benton County Deputy Brad Kadlac. Heck said he and others in the department were amazed by how many people made name suggestions.

The department’s previous K-9 dog, Ben, retired last year after a long, distinguished record of service with handler Deputy Kadlac. The new dog came from the same breeder in Slovakia as the one who provided Ben. In Slovakia, the German shepherd was named “Hoky” (pronounced hockey).

“He is very social and has a lot of drive, so we expect him to be a great asset to our office,” Heck said.

The person who submitted the winning name will have his or her photo taken with the K-9. If the winning name was submitted by multiple people, a drawing will determine which person will meet the dog and have a photo taken.

At the end of January, the dog and Kadlac will begin a four-month specialized training course during which the K-9 will learn a variety of workday skills: agility, handler protection, obedience, bite-work, article searches, area and building searches, tracking and how to recognize and alert for narcotics.

Heck noted retired K-9 Ben is doing fine after undergoing surgery on an injured knee about two months ago. The surgery was given free by Jeffrey Nelson of Granite City Pet Hospital. That hospital also donated services for the new K-9.

“We are very proud of the fact our K-9 program is fully funded by donations from businesses, residents and community groups,” Heck said. “We would like to thank everyone who has supported this program through donations and attendance at our annual K-9 golf tournament. Without this ongoing support we could not continue this worthwhile program that is a key piece in the mission of keeping Benton County safe.”