Local car dealership purchases K9 for South Strabane police
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
South Strabane K9 Officer Keith Zenkovich with Reika, the department’s new police dog.
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
Zenkovich with Reika inside Washington Honda.
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
South Strabane police officers and Washington Honda employees gather around Reika. Washington Auto Mall donated the funds for South Strabane police to purchase the K9.
South Strabane Township Police Department purchased a police K9 just last year, but Tornado died from medical issues after just nine months on the job.
With assistance from Washington Auto Mall, however, the police department was able to keep its K9 program going.
Gary Flannery, executive manager of Washington Auto Mall, said they’ve had a long relationship with South Strabane police dating back to when the business opened in 2000.
“We had talked to them prior to them purchasing the dog they had that died tragically. Then (police Chief Drew Hilk) called me after that and said, ‘Hey, we could use some help with a new dog,'” Flannery said. “He explained the details, and we said, ‘Absolutely, we’re all in.'”
Washington Auto Mall, which operates three car dealerships along Washington Road, paid for the full price of a new K9 – $6,500.
Reika, a 20-month-old Belgian Malinois, is now the police department’s newest employee, and has been under the care of K9 Officer Keith Zenkovich for about three weeks. They purchased Reika from Battle Ridge K9 in Madison, W.Va.
Zenkovich has been with South Strabane for six years, and a police officer for more than 20. He also has a decade of experience as a K9 handler, and Reika is his fourth dog.
“By far, it’s the best area of law enforcement. They pay me to play with a dog,” Zenkovich said. “There is no real secret to police K9. She does what she’s told, she gets played with. The reward is the play. So if she doesn’t find the drugs, she doesn’t get to play.”
In addition to narcotics, Reika is also being trained to track criminals, recover evidence, search buildings and protect her handler.
Zenkovich said Tractor Supply Co. in South Strabane is donating food for her, about a $70 per month expense. Zenkovich said he is grateful for the donations from local businesses.
“It’s something I’m very passionate about. I love doing it, and to have the opportunity to do it again and kind of ease the K9 budget and the regular budget,” Zenkovich said.
Zenkovich was also Tornado’s handler. He described Tornado as having a treatable but incurable medical condition. Tornado had been purchased from a kennel overseas. Zenkovich did not specify the nature of Tornado’s condition, citing ongoing legal issues with the kennel.
Tornado’s short tenure was significant, however, as he was the first K9 in South Strabane. Because of the K9 program, the police department had already invested in a police truck specifically outfitted for police dogs.
“That was part of the driving force behind it, to not cancel the program,” Zenkovich said. “I was worried that they were going to cancel the program. In a short period of only nine months, it seemed like Tornado became an ambassador to the department.”
Reika is not quite ready for duty, and has several weeks of training remaining. Zenkovich said she will be sworn in on May 19. Zenkovich said they will be training with Mike Garrow, owner of Garrow Canine Training Center in Charleroi.
When Reika does go to work, Zenkovich feels she will be right for the job.
“She’s social. She’s very clear-headed – that’s why we picked her,” Zenkovich said, adding that they tested several dogs before deciding on Reika, just as they had done with Tornado.
“There are seven different areas that we test dogs for, just to make sure that they’re going to do their job. Primarily their nose. We don’t want the dog looking for the ball in high grass. The majority of her work is detection work. Whether it’s looking for drugs, tracking people, building searches, she’s got to be able to use her nose.”
Though Zenkovich’s time with Tornado was short, he’s confident Reika will be around for the long haul.
“It’s a fantastic community, and we look forward to Reika’s retirement in 10 years, and I buy her for a dollar and she becomes my house dog,” Zenkovich said.