Star-Journbal Editor
One of Hillsboro's finest brought home a big award from a statewide law enforcement competition recently, but he won't be getting any special accolades for his efforts, because, his handler says, the extra attention might spoil him.
Rico, the City of Hillsboro's police dog, placed second in the Detective Dog competition this past Thursday in Newton at the Heart of America Police Dog Association competition known as the Trophy Run.
Patrolman and K9 officer Brad Richards is proud of his dog, of course, but says he is, after all, a working dog.
"We don't want people just walking up and petting him all the time, because then he'd be rewarded for not working," Richards said. "He finds drugs, he gets rewarded. We don't want him to get rewarded without having to work, otherwise he'll get lazy."
The Trophy Run competition came at the end of a three-day certification process in which Rico and Richards and 14 other dog-handler teams were tested on their ability to find cocaine hidden in a school, heroin and meth in a car, and pot in a suitcase. They also worked on Rico's tracking skills.
In the Detector Dog event, dog-handler teams were sent into a house with five "finds" of drugs hidden someplace inside. The object of the "game" was to find them as quickly as possible.
Rico found the drugs hidden between the mattresses in the bedroom, the kilo of cocaine up in the rafters in the garage, the paraphernalia in the couch, and the secret stash behind the wall-mounted bathroom mirror.
The fifth stash was so well hidden that none of the dogs could find it. Rico and Richards were tied with two other teams for first place, and placed second in a play-off.
"He lost to a dog from Riley County, but beat the arson dog from Topeka," Richards said.
The overtime delighted Rico, because when he's working, he thinks it's play. And even though Rico gets no special dog food or treats to eat when he makes a find, he does get his hard rubber chew toy, which is enough.
It's his pride and joy.
Rico is a Belgian Malinois (pronounced MAL-in-wah), a breed known for outstanding athletic agility, loyalty. They are replacing German Shepherds as the dog of choice for police work.
The breed is described by professional trainers as having high "play drive" which means that everything is a game to them, and they love games.
"When he smells drugs, he thinks that his toy is there, too," Richards said. "He's thinking, 'I know my toy is in there, and I'm not moving from this spot until I find it. Behind all of the training, it's always 'Find the toy!'"
No matter how many trophies Rico brings home, when he's not riding around in his K9 SUV, he'll continue to live his dog's life: eating regular dog food, and living in his handler's back yard.
You could say "Way to go, Rico!" next time you see him, but you'd be wasting your breath.
Rico, who was imported from Europe as a puppy, has never learned a word of English. He's not a German Shepherd, but German is the only language he knows.
"We give him all of his commands in German," Richards said, "so hopefully the bad guys won't be able to tell him what to do."
