Shawano PD meets new K9 from Crossroads

SHAWANO — The Shawano Police Department got a first look at its newest recruit on Thursday — a furry, four-legged mass of energy expected to help with narcotics detection and suspect apprehension.

Thor made his first appearance in Shawano at City Hall, meeting his human handler, Officer Jacob Korth, and demonstrating his skills to city officials. Thor will officially hit the streets next fall after Korth works with Sean Dumais, who directs dog training at Crossroads K9 Rescue in Kronenwetter.

Crossroads provides one dog to a police department per year, doing it in memory of Detective Jason Weiland, who died in the line of duty in 2017 with the Everest Metro Police Department in Marathon County. There is a personal connection for Dumais, as Weiland was his wife’s brother-in-law.

“We were trying to find a way to continue his legacy for all that he’d done for the community,” Dumais said.

After combing through a number of applications, it was decided Shawano would be the best fit for Thor’s talents, according to Dumais.

Korth said he has been around dogs for most of his life, mostly hunting dogs. While he has experience training dogs domestically, learning to have a police K9 be a partner in fighting crime is different, he said.

“It’s an interesting task, studying to learn how to become a handler,” Korth said. “It’s a very in-depth process.”

Korth said he has worked in concert with other K9s with the city police, Shawano County Sheriff’s Department and other agencies, which sparked his interest in having “a tool that I see as valuable for our department and for me, myself.”

Thor is a high-drive dog, Korth observed, and admits he’ll be a handful while Korth learns his habits and skills.

“There will obviously be challenges — forming that bond with him will be one of them,” Korth said. “I think it’s going to be more of him training me than me training him.”

Dumais noted that Thor is “incredibly smart,” so Korth will need to find ways to maintain his intelligence.

“He’s smart enough to get himself in trouble,” Dumais said. “Thor is exceptionally loyal. He’s good at what he does; he knows when it’s time to work. When we go outside to start practicing, he know it’s time to focus. He’s got a lot of drive, and that’s what we look for.”

Dumais has worked with Thor since the dog was eight weeks old. He is now 10 months old, Dumais said.

There is still some work that Dumais needs to do with Thor, and now he has to begin the process to get the dog and Korth closer as a law enforcement team.

“We want them to be partners,” Dumais said. “They need to be able to depend on each other and do the job right. Once the bond is there, it takes itself where it needs to go.”

Dumais will work with Korth and Thor separately until the weather gets warmer. Once that happens, there will be a two-week period where K9 and handler will work together.

“One of our goals is not to take the officer away from the department for six to eight weeks like most handlers have to do,” Dumais said. “Most departments can’t afford to lose an officer for that long, and it’s a real expense to the city.”

Dumais formally started his rescue business in 2016 after coming back from overseas, first with the military and then as a civilian.

“My significant other is a nurse, so she wants to save the world, so she decided we’re going to do rescues,” Dumais said. “I said, ‘Yeah, go ahead and play a little rescue game and work with dogs,’ and the rescue exploded. It blew up to twice the size of my business. Now the rescue is the flagship of our business.”

lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com