Gulf Shores K9 retires, transitions to family life

Taz went off active duty after a series of health issues

Crystal Cole/ Islander Editor
Posted 2/20/19

It’s a rainy, frigid Tuesday in the middle of February, but that hardly stops Taz from sprinting around the baseball park at full speed.

At nine years old Taz, a former Gulf Shores Police …

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Gulf Shores K9 retires, transitions to family life

Taz went off active duty after a series of health issues

Posted

It’s a rainy, frigid Tuesday in the middle of February, but that hardly stops Taz from sprinting around the baseball park at full speed.

At nine years old Taz, a former Gulf Shores Police Department K9, still has the energy of a puppy despite numerous recent health issues.

“He’s got arthritis in both hips,” said Patrol Officer Shawn Andrews, Taz’s handler. “He’s got the start of what they call spina bifida toward his lower back. Then he had a large tumor on his chest.”

After several opinions on the tumor, it was determined to not be cancerous. However, two weeks later Andrews noticed the dog’s chest getting large again.

“He started to get lethargic that morning,” Andrews said. “I brought him in to what was going

to be his last week of work. He wouldn’t get out of the back of the car; he wouldn’t bark; he

wouldn’t even get out of the kennel. I knew something wasn’t right. They went in and drained

all that fluid.”

Despite Taz’s rebounding health, his hips prevent him from returning to work. His spine is becoming brittle from all the high-contact work required of a police dog, and he needs to start taking it easy to ensure a long life. On January 28, the Gulf Shores City Council executed documents to officially place Taz in retirement and transfer ownership from the city to Andrews.

This arrangement is common for K9 officers, who spend night and day with their partners along with extensive bonding and training.

For Taz and Andrews, that process was even longer. Andrews was considered a “green handler” with Taz, as this was his first K9 assignment.

“I got him about seven years ago, and what we do is we go through a bonding process,” Andrews said. “That’s just me and the dog. Nobody talks to the dog at the police department; nobody interacts with the dog at the police department; nobody at the house interacts or talks with the dog. We do that for about two to four weeks of just he and I. He starts to realize he can trust this guy. Once that gets through that stage, then we go through training.”

Andrews said the two go through approximately 460 hours of training at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office which has two certified K9 trainers. All that training and repetition becomes hard wired into both officers. Andrews calls out a command in German to Taz. He stops what he’s doing and comes to his master’s side. Taz’s bright eyes make their way up to meet Andrews’ and the dog’s body language is instantly more relaxed.

That relaxation is relatively new, according to Andrews. Taz is making the transition from service dog to family pet—one that seems to be progressing well.

“That first week when he still had his stiches in, my wife said he would lay by the garage door where I leave for work for almost three hours thinking I was going to come back any second,” Andrews said. “I’m leaving in the uniform, and I’m sometimes forgetful. I’d walk back in, and he’d get so excited thinking I came back for him. Then we’d have to restart the process. Now he’s up on the couch, and my wife is taking more of a command role at home with him. He’s great with the kids. I think he’s enjoying retirement more and more.”

Taz continues to run around in the rain. It’s been a particularly wet February, so he is glad for the time outdoors. He tears at a rope toy Andrews has given him, looking back at his human frequently to ensure his safety.

Andrews beams talking about Taz’s time competing at United States Police Canine Association nationals. Handlers and K9s must certify with a certain amount of points at regionals to compete at the national level. One of the hardest tasks during the competition is called a recall.

“You send a dog after a bad guy, and at a certain point you tell the dog to stop and come back to you,” Andrews said. “It would be used in the line of duty if a suspect turned around with a knife or something where it’s a losing situation for the dog.”

Taz and Andrews practiced recalls, along with many other events for the competition, extensively ahead of nationals. Taz had never blown a recall up until that point. On this particular day, something wasn’t quite right.

“I walk up to the line, he stands next to me and looks up at me,” Andrews said. “I look at him and he gave me a ‘watch this’ look. I sent him on, and he never even checked up. Blew right through it and apprehended the decoy which is what he wasn’t supposed to do. I knew right when he looked at me that was going to happen.”

That connection runs deep between handlers and K9s. Andrews said he knows exactly when Taz needs to go to the bathroom by the change in his breathing pattern. That level of trust and understanding of one another helps the two work seamlessly as a unit while on duty and become close friends when at home.

“He hasn’t been on duty with me for a couple of weeks now, but I find myself talking to him in the car asking if he’s fallen asleep,” Andrews said. “That bond is what you work towards. We’re going to give him the best life we can. I’m sure he’ll let me know when it’s time to go.”