Meet Ryot... she's about 10 weeks old by now. She's a playful, affectionate, cute little ball of fur. She's a Belgian Malinois, a variety of the Belgian Shepherd Dog according to Wikipedia. Malanois have a short mahogany coat with black overlay, black stand up ears and black snout. They're similar to German Shepherds in appearance but smaller with more of a square body. When fully grown Ryot will stand around 24” high and weigh around 60 pounds. They are popular K-9 dogs for police departments and are faster, more agile, mature faster and are more aggressive than German Shepherds. When fully trained she will be fiercely protective and loyal only to her handler.
Her training started the day she was weaned from her mother. That's the day she commenced becoming a soul mate with Wellsville K-9 Police Officer Tony Mancuso. Her early training consists of getting use to Mancuso and being around lots of other people. By the time she's fully grown she'll probably know more about Mancuso than he knows about himself. His wish will be her command. She will dedicate her life to him and even put herself in harm's way for him if necessary. To get her use to being around people and crowd noise Mancuso has been bringing her to basketball games. She's proving to be immensely popular with young and old.
We were first introduced to Belgian Malinois a year ago in September when Norfolk-Southern Railroad Security Officer Tyler Holland and his K-9 companion put on a demonstration for Wellsville's Crime Watch Committee. Holland is a part-time WPD member and his buddy is called Allen. Allen was fully trained when Holland put him through his paces for the Committee. He is primarily a bomb sniffing dog but will also track and attack when asked. You didn't approach Holland or his specially equipped vehicle until Allen was given the command that it was all right. Allen is not a mean dog. He's just that protective of his charge. He's a big, old playful puppy when Holland gave him the okay.
Malonois are hard working dogs and thrive on stimulation and exercise, whether it's training, playing or working. They are easy to obedience train with their high drive for rewards. They are very exuberant and playful, especially when young. Just ask Susie Haugh about the loving she got from Ryot. Their training never stops and they regularly are given refresher training.
For now Ryot goes to training school once a week. By the time she is six months old she will be a certified tracker and as a member of the Wellsville PD, her specialty will be narcotics. Lt. Ed Wilson remarked that with Ryot search warrants won't be necessary. Ryot's nose will be the “warrant”. By the time she is one year old she'll be a certified attack dog.
Ryot and her training is a donation to the Village. Officer Holland told us that Allen cost $22,000 before his training began. The Wellsville FOP learned of the program and applied some time ago. Ryot came from a breeder from up around Akron that specializes in her breed and runs a K-9 training school. Her only cost to the Village will be her feed, vet care, liability insurance and her handler's wages. Officer Marcia Eisenhart said her insurance is only half of what is paid for a human officer. At last week's Council meeting Mayor Joe Surace commended the FOP for their efforts in applying and getting selected for the program. It's a credit to the WPD and a definite plus for Wellsville's law enforcement efforts.
As noted in our post on last week's Council meeting Ryot was officially made the newest member of the Wellsville Police Department. She'll be a definite asset for our community.
You almost feel sorry for the bad guys...not!
ole nib
No comments:
Post a Comment