The Roanoker March/April 2024 - 65

pets
LEFT: Officer Kristina
Wilhelm and Ghost outside
of the Roanoke County
Public Safety Building.
A
dog can be different things to
different people: a best friend
and companion who is there
when you need it, a source of
safety when someone means
you harm, a valuable worker
who knows its job well and does
it better than anyone or even something to fear.
Police K9s in Roanoke are all of these and
more. And their partners and handlers are
thankful for them every day.
Roanoke County Police Sergeant Adam
Grubb supervises five officer and dog pairs.
He's gotten to know them all well. In addition
to natural differences in each dog's personality,
there are differences that come from the handler.
The dogs range from two to six-and-a-half
years old, and are German Shepherd, Dutch
Shepherd or Belgian Malinois.
Good dogs are in demand. Officers are
called on all over the area, from missing persons
in Catawba to stadium sweeps in Blacksburg.
What surprised Grubb about the department
most is the amount of maintenance
required and the consistency of the work.
Between trainings, certifications and normal
veterinary care, checking controlled substances
out and in for scent work and regular police
procedures, it's rare that a week goes by without
a handler needing his approval for something.
Like all dogs, they require regular veterinary
care like vaccinations and flea and tick prevention.
But they also need to keep up with their
training which involves scent identification,
tracking, commands involving a bite suit and
recall, agility and more.
The RCPD has an agility course named
after a now-retired K9, the Cash Agility
Course, and a scent identification wall made
up of a series of PVC pipes on site.
Officers will place a small amount of a substance
to identify in one of the tubes, and the
K9 will check the tubes and give a signal to
identify which tube has the substance. When
they get it, the handler will then release a
reward, such as a tennis ball or tug toy, through
the tube for the dog to receive.
Each K9 must be recertified each year by
the Virginia Police Work Dog Association on
TheRoanoker.com
this and other skills. To keep everyone sharp,
that means 16 hours of training each month.
Recertification involves tracking a person
over a quarter-mile, responding to commands
precisely, identifying odors and more. And
they need to get the whole thing right for it
to count.
Officer Nathaniel Winstead partners with
K9 Mavric on narcotics patrol and SWAT.
For Winstead, recertification is stressful, but
for Mavric, who's unaware of the stakes, it's
" just another day. "
Winstead selected Mavric from a facility in
South Carolina. His biggest challenge at the
time was his love of his toy. He didn't want
to let it go.
It's been rewarding seeing him grow and
learn. " We're in it together, and that bond takes
time. "
Today, Mavric clearly hangs on Winstead's
every word and action.
Officer Kristina Wilhelm has been with Roanoke
County Police Department for 17 years. Nearly
11 of those were in the K9 unit. She loves the
work and feels it's the best position on the
force.
Wilhelm grew up working with hunting
dogs and was already leaning toward K9 police
work when she participated in a presentation
while in college.
" I was in the bite suit ... and I was like, yeah,
I definitely want to do this, " she says.
Her K9 partner is a German Shepherd
named Ghost. Ghost is an explosives patrol
dog and her second K9.
Her first partner, Body (pronounced Bohdee),
was a tough act to follow. He was primarily
a narcotics patrol dog but also an excellent
tracker.
" Body got an award one time. We found a
missing dementia patient who had wandered
off. "
At 12 years old, Body is now living the good
life as a house dog. He's sweet, loving and protective
with her children and can be a bit of a
couch potato. But even in his retirement, it's
hard to take the work out of the dog.
MARCH/APRIL 2024 65
TOP: The Cash Agility Course
BOTTOM: Officer Winstead
demonstrates the scent wall.
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The Roanoker March/April 2024

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