Kilo
Our second Hero this evening is Kilo, a 6 year old, 115 pound,
black German Shepherd Dog owned and handled by David Dewey. Kilo
and Officer Dewey live in Essex Junction and both are officers
in the Colchester Police Department. Kilo was nominated for the
Vermont Animal Hall of Fame by Dr. Paul Howard.
Kilo began his career at the tender age of 6 weeks when a breeder
in Randolph donated him to Officer Dewey for the purpose of becoming
Winooski’s first police dog. From the start, Officer Dewey
and Kilo were best friends, spending every moment together including
naptime side by side on the floor in front of the wood stove.
Kilo and Officer Dewey graduated from the Vermont Police Academy in Pittsford, where all Vermont canine units are trained. Kilo holds two Certifications; one in Drug Detection and the second in Patrol. Currently.
Although Kilo does not carry a gun, make arrests or drive a cruiser, he is an invaluable partner to Officer Dewey. He proved his worth on the very first situation they encountered together shortly after his initial 16 week training course. Called out on a domestic disturbance complaint, a male suspect, resisting arrest by Officer Dewey, was quickly and easily restrained by Kilo. No one was hurt and the suspect was taken into custody. Through their years together, Kilo and Officer Dewey have performed many drug searches, people searches, and evidence searches. One of Kilo’s most important roles is to be the protector of his partner Officer Dewey. On many occasions, he has prevented serious injury to his human partner by being very attentive and rapidly responsive to any situation that appears threatening.
Kilo has been extremely important in the ongoing struggle to control illegal drugs in Vermont. He is trained to sniff out marijuana, cocaine and heroin. On one occasion, Kilo helped in a drug raid where he searched an apartment, finding 404 bags of heroin. Another occasion found Kilo and Officer Dewey standing by as security at a residence, waiting for a search warrant to be delivered. Officer Dewey decided to allow Kilo to have a little stretch while they waited. Instead of relaxing, Kilo went to work. Without waiting for the signal to be given, he proceeded to search the yard, resulting in the recovery of a large plastic bag containing almost one pound of cocaine. He found the bag 100 feet from where he started, under a hedge of thick shrubbery. We can only imagine how many people Kilo prevented from hurting themselves and others by keeping these large amounts of drugs off the streets.
In August of 2002, an 11 year old mentally challenged boy ran
away from his Colchester home. It was a very rainy, cold, and
dark night. Neighbors and police searched the area for three hours
without finding the boy. Everyone was concerned that if the boy
was not found soon, he would get injured or become ill. Officer
Dewey and Kilo were called in to help with the search. Kilo spent
10-15 minutes sniffing the area. He then found the boy hiding
15 feet high in a thick pine tree. All agreed that without Kilo’s
help, the boy would not have been found until the next day.
So what does Kilo do when he is not sniffing out burglars, detecting
drugs or seeking the scent of missing people? When he is not called
upon to help area police, Kilo keeps active performing demonstrations
for area school children, instilling in them a healthy respect
for law enforcement and teaching them the dangers of illegal drugs.
He also participates in Special Olympics Vermont, where he regularly
attends the state tournaments. Kilo’s wonderful personality
and winning spirit has encouraged many a hesitant athlete to enter
the games and do his very best. Kilo is always professional and
attentive to duty, but when Officer Dewey allows him to be “at
ease” he easily turns off all the training and becomes man’s
best friend once again. He frequently frolics with small children,
chases the light from a flashlight, plays Frisbee and tracks hidden
children just for fun.
Kilo has certainly made Vermont safer by all his activities. In fact, he has probably saved more lives then we will ever know. I think we can all agree with Jordan and Corrie that Kilo is certainly “Our Hero”
The VVMA is extremely proud to induct Kilo into the Vermont Animal Hall of Fame in the Hero category.
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