Meeting June 30, 2014
Posted by Alexander C. Todd
Danielle Baron is a K-9 police officer with Buffalo Grove and she brought along her partner Saxon, a 5 year old German shepherd.
Saxon is a dual purpose dog, meaning that they can apprehend criminals but also can be used for searches. Police dogs take many months to train and cost over $10,000. Saxon’s expenses exceeded $13,000 by the time he joined the force. That’s not counting the ongoing training he and Officer Baron must do. Saxon must do at least 16 hours of training each month, but in reality, it’s many more hours than that.
Saxon is trained to search for narcotics and cadavers among other things. However, one thing he isn’t trained for is explosives. That’s because Saxon is an aggressive alert dog, meaning when he finds what he’s looking for, he’ll paw and dig the area until he gets to it. This is not a good trait for explosive finding dogs. Those are trained to be passive alert dogs – when they find their target, they simply sit next to it. One of the requirements to be a K-9 officer is to be able to carry your dog. Saxon is 88lbs and should get to 95lbs. Other dogs can reach 115 lbs or more. Saxon lives with Officer Baron at her house. When he’s there, he takes on a different temperament around her other pets and family members, but he is still very protective of her and their house. When Saxon reaches retirement age around 12 or 13, Officer Baron will purchase him from the department for $1 and take him home to be her full time pet. While it’s possible for her to take on another K-9 partner after that, it typically doesn’t happen. A new batch of K-9 officers are always willing and eager to step up and fill the role.
Saxon is trained to search for narcotics and cadavers among other things. However, one thing he isn’t trained for is explosives. That’s because Saxon is an aggressive alert dog, meaning when he finds what he’s looking for, he’ll paw and dig the area until he gets to it. This is not a good trait for explosive finding dogs. Those are trained to be passive alert dogs – when they find their target, they simply sit next to it. One of the requirements to be a K-9 officer is to be able to carry your dog. Saxon is 88lbs and should get to 95lbs. Other dogs can reach 115 lbs or more. Saxon lives with Officer Baron at her house. When he’s there, he takes on a different temperament around her other pets and family members, but he is still very protective of her and their house. When Saxon reaches retirement age around 12 or 13, Officer Baron will purchase him from the department for $1 and take him home to be her full time pet. While it’s possible for her to take on another K-9 partner after that, it typically doesn’t happen. A new batch of K-9 officers are always willing and eager to step up and fill the role.
Alexander C. Todd