Fred, the Gulfport, MS, police dog is looking for a new line of work. He was unceremoniously dismissed from his position as drug-sniffing dog following allegations that he was too lazy to do the job right. Gulfport police returned the Belgian Malinois to his training facility at US K-9 Unlimited at Kaplan, LA.
Gulfport Police Chief Leonard Papania said the dog wasn’t getting the job done even after being given numerous chances. That means the city paid almost $13,000 to train the dog at K-9 Unlimited for nothing, Papania said. He’s not blaming K-9 Unlimited since they’re well respected for training drug sniffing dogs. He just wants the department’s money back, which he’s confident K-9 will do.
While not addressing specifically what the dog did or didn’t do, the police chief said he was able to sniff out drugs and go on patrol. He just got “distracted” on the job. When he was on patrol looking for drugs, he would see soda cans and start trying to play with the can rather than stay on the job, Papania said.
The police department tried many measures to get Fred back on track. They sent him back to drug dog sniffing school. The police department handlers tried to re-train him. Nothing worked.
The Gulfport City Council this week voted unanimously to send Fred back whence he came. The council declared the dog to be surplus property. This allows the police department to return the dog. Attempts by news sources to contact K-9 Unlimited for comments were unsuccessful.
Have no fear, Fred fans. The dog won’t be destroyed. However, the police chief said Fred will be sorely missed even if he didn’t do the job. The police handlers had bonded with the dog since the dog spent all its time with them.
Patrick Donovan is a criminal defense attorney in Massachusetts. Attorney Donovan is a former prosecutor that has appeared in over fifty Massachusetts court. Attorney Donovan represents clients charged with both felony and misdemeanor crimes. If you need legal advice in Massachusetts contact Attorney Patrick Donovan today.
