The Roanoker March/April 2024 - 66

pets
He still circles the police car in the morning in an effort to get
inside. Wilhelm has to put him in the backyard until she leaves when
the kids let him in.
That's the hardest part for Wilhelm, and it's the reason she thinks
that Ghost will be her last K9. Although it's extremely rewarding
and there's nothing like the bond, she can see it's a little hard on the
retirees, at least for Body.
He's a bit jealous of Ghost going out on the job. And he's been
known to correct him when their styles clash. Ghost was originally
with another handler who trained him to jump up on top of him in a
greeting. Body worries and barks at Ghost when he sees it happening.
One thing Body and Wilhelm
don't have to worry about is vet bills.
The care of the working dogs in
the canine unit is covered by Roanoke
County, but the retirees' are not.
Luckily, a Virginia nonprofit called
Paws of Honor covers all of Body's
veterinary expenses as well as that of
other retired police dogs.
Another nonprofit that's been vital
to the health and safety of Roanoke
County K9s is Spike's K9 Fund.
In addition to supporting training,
Spike's fits and funds a Kevlar vest
for all the dogs at the department, as
well as many others in Virginia and
beyond.
One recently saved a dog in
Roanoke City which is a comfort to
Officer Winstead and other handlers.
" I love and care greatly for Mavric...
[sending him into the unknown] is
kind of one of the harder parts of
K9... knowing that this is your best
friend and your partner, " he says.
Officers don't send K9s into situations
where they know someone is
armed, but they do sometimes have
to send them to find someone in a
building or open area where they
don't yet have all the information.
The dogs are " very much a deterrent "
and aid in catching suspects,
according to Officer Wilhelm. She
said that although she's had to send
both Body and Ghost after a noncompliant
suspect, she's been lucky
that in both cases, they didn't need
to connect.
When the person saw the large
dog running toward him, he immediately
gave up. Wilhelm was able to
halt the dog before they reached him.
" I was able to call the dog off and
the dog stood there until my backup
66 MARCH/APRIL 2024
TOP: Officer Wilhelm sits at her
desk with Ghost beside her.
BOTTOM: Ghost identifies hidden
ammunition by scent.
officer put him in handcuffs and then I called him back to me. You
know everybody talks about the dogs being dangerous ... but you can't
shoot a gun and recall the bullet or shoot a Taser and recall the probes. "
It's a testament to the dogs' ability to be very responsive and the
bond they have with their handlers.
Of course, in many cases, the object of pursuit is not a danger but
in danger. K9s are invaluable in finding missing persons too, including
children who've run away, older people with dementia and people with
mental illness such as Body's aforementioned story.
Wilhelm often does demos out in the community and Ghost has
to be around children. They're usually very excited to meet him and
often want to pet him. She's trained
him to be good around all different
people, but when he hears a command
or even a change in her voice,
his demeanor immediately changes.
He can be friendly to kids one
minute, and apprehend a dangerous
person the next. He's very in tune,
and that goes both ways.
That ability to communicate and
respond is one of the reasons that
dogs make such good officers. They've
had centuries of cooperation with
humans. Anthropologists agree that
dogs were the first animals domesticated
by humans, and our evolutions
are entwined. Many think early
humans learned some of their hunting
skills from early dogs.
In fact, in experiments, even an
unsocialized dog will look toward a
human for help when presented with
a problem before trying to sovle it on
its own, unlike its undomesticated
wolf pup counterpart.
Then there's the protective bond.
Most dogs naturally want to protect
their handler. And the training they
receive enhances that. When you
combine all this with their incredible
scent detection ability and natural
strength, you get a powerful partner.
Officer Wilhelm agrees that the
bond is incredible and she couldn't
ask for better back up.
" I would definitely say, in my opinion,
it's the best job in the department. "
I
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