Copyright © 2002 NLThomas
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Ringo sniffing narcotics in a file cabinet during a demonstration of his abilities.

TAHLEQUAH, OK - The newest addition to the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service definitely has a nose for narcotics. Ringo, a 19-month-old Dutch Shepherd, joined the force in February and began his first week of active duty in April, after completing five weeks of training in Indiana.

Ringo and partner Brett Mull, patrol officer, have their work cut out for them. Their main objective is to work together to help eliminate illegal drugs from the Cherokee Nation's jurisdictional service area.

"It's pretty awesome to be able to take your partner home with you every night," said Mull, who has made Ringo a part of the family. "He has his own room and his own pillow. He goes with me everywhere."

Ringo was bred specifically to become a police dog. Born in Czechoslovakia, his first six months of life were spent with a Czechoslovakian family where they worked on socializing the dog and getting him used to human contact.

"This family made their living raising social dogs," Mull said. "This makes them better to train and easier to socialize with."

When his training time was complete with the Czechoslovakian family, Ringo flew to Louisville, Kentucky, where the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service purchased him.

Once David Roberts, director of the Marshal Service, reached the decision to purchase a canine officer, he then had to decide who would be his human counterpart.

"It was a tough decision to decide who got the dog as a partner," Roberts said. "It had to be someone who would allow the dog to become a part of him and him to become part of the dog."

Roberts accepted applications from current officers who were interested in the canine partner.

"When making a decision like this, you have to look for patience and good judgment," said Roberts, who chose Mull based on these qualities.

Mull attended the five-week training, with Ringo, at the Vohn Licke Kennel in Indiana, where their bonding process began. The Vohn Licke Kennel is well-known in the law enforcement profession for training police dogs.

"People come from all over the world to train there," said Mull. "I can't say enough good things about them."

The first two weeks of the five-week training course taught the dogs how to alert the officer to the presence of narcotics in the area and taught the officer how to recognize that the dog was alerting. Trainers also taught the dog what each type of narcotic smells like. Once Ringo and Mull mastered the narcotics section, they moved on to train in the apprehension of suspects and suspect tracking, an area where patrol dogs can prove useful. The final phase of training consisted of scenario training where the trainees were placed in actual situations that they may face during a typical day of active duty. Once training was complete, both dog and officer took a week off to get to know each other a little better.

"It's called the bonding week," Mull said. "The training was tough and pretty stressful on the dog. You need some time together afterwards."

Police dogs, like Seeing Eye dogs, are considered service dogs and have the same rights as humans. They can enter public buildings and go places that household pets cannot. In the law enforcement field, a police dog, also known as a canine officer, is considered an official police officer and a full member of the force.

"He does his job just like the rest of us," Mull said. "My goal for Ringo is to make him part of our winning team here at the Cherokee Nation."