Ledger-Dispatch

By Judie Marks (jmarks@ledger-dispatch.com= )=20

Rico, a 20-month-old Malinois, or = Belgian=20 shepherd dog, was delivered to the Amador County Sheriff's Office = last=20 week, to begin training as a service dog with Deputy Sheriff Ryan=20 Clark.

Photo by: Courtesy to the Ledger=20 Dispatch
A 20-month-old soon will take = his place in=20 a new job in the Amador County Sheriff's Office.

Rico, a = Malinois, or=20 Belgian shepherd dog, will begin protection and narcotics detection = training=20 later this month with his new partner, Deputy Sheriff Ryan Clark. They = are=20 expected to begin patrolling the county by March.

Although = historically=20 used for herding, Malinois dogs are bred in the United States and Europe = primarily as working dogs for personal protection, detection, police = work, and=20 search and rescue work. It is also the breed used by the U.S. Secret=20 Service.

At one time the sheriff's office had a total of three = dogs on=20 staff. But with the unexpected retirement of two of the dogs last year, = the=20 department was left with only one. The dogs not only serve with the = sheriff's=20 office, but also are called in on mutual aid requests from local city = police=20 departments and the California Highway Patrol.

The current year's = budget=20 had already been approved and did not include money for any replacement = dogs.=20 But the Amador County Deputy Sheriff's Association, at the request of = its=20 membership, began looking into the possibility of buying a = dog.

After=20 checking with other law enforcement associations, they learned it was = not=20 unusual for associations to accept donations to fund purchase of a = service dog.=20

The association president, Deputy Gary Stevens, approached = Sheriff=20 Martin Ryan with their proposal to solicit donations for a portion of = the=20 purchase price and to fund the remainder of the needed money through = association=20 funds.

Ryan approved the request and committed the department to = funding=20 the costs of training.

Stevens presented Ryan with a check for = $6,500 on=20 Jan. 4.

Businesses that contributed to the fund to buy the dog = included=20 Brusatori Enterprises, Cazadd Brothers Excavation, Chop Shop = Installations,=20 Drytown Club, Hall Photography, Jim Boys Tacos, Les Schwab Tires, = Lynch's=20 Automotive, Meeks Building Center, Rory's Towing and Repair, Stymeist = Inc. and=20 the Sutter Creek Police Officers Association.

Sheriff Ryan = expressed his=20 appreciation of the association and the businesses for stepping forward = to=20 contribute to the safety of the community and the officers.

Judie = Marks