Ronin the Rescue
Officer Chad Pearsall & K9 Ronin
Becoming a police officer was something that I had my eyes set on from a very young age. Watching my dad get ready for work and drive off in his patrol car was something that I dreamed of doing. As I got older the dream turned into wanting to become a K9 Handler so that I could take my best friend to work every day. My dream became true when I was hired by the Aberdeen Police Department. I set my goal and the work began to become a K9 handler. One day my Sergeant received a call from an area Master Trainer who had just tested a rescue dog that showed amazing Police K9 traits. Our department had been without a K9 for about a year; Chief Shumate took advantage of the opportunity to acquire one.
I was selected to be the new K9 handler, my sergeant and I made the 2-hour drive to go meet Ronin. Most K9 handlers from other agencies are able to tell you where their dog is from, their birthdate, and exact breed. Most K9’s come from overseas and are trained to be a police dog from a young age. Most Handlers get the experience of picking out their dog, maybe even the dog’s name and know exactly what they’re getting. This was not the case with Ronin.
Ronin was a rescue that was found on the streets of Tacoma when he was roughly a year old. Ronin was adopted out and spent the next eight months in very poor conditions. He was kept in a crate and didn’t get the exercise he needed. Ronin was taken back to the shelter weighing over a hundred pounds and unhealthy. Ronin was then taken in by a group of ladies that did scent training drills with him and noticed his incredible nose. They contacted a Master Trainer who put Ronin through a series of test, it was very obvious that Ronin had tremendous capabilities.
Ronin is believed to be a 2 ½ year-old German Shepard. He is healthy and currently weighs 75 pounds. I met Ronin in Sequim and brought him home the same night. Ronin became the newest member of the Aberdeen Police Department. Two days after picking Ronin up, we started our 480 hour police training. He is trained for tracking /apprehension. In the class Ronin learned his obedience, tracking, and building search and area search skills. Additionally, he learned how to properly apprehend a criminal.
Ronin is now living the life that he was born to live as a working K9. Ronin has more energy than he knows what to do with. Every day before my shift, I walk into the garage and lift the inner garage door and hear Ronin awaken from his rest. Ronin then starts to whine and bark letting me know he’s ready for work. I round the corner and look at him and he just starts to jump at the door and spin. I pop the latch and tell him it’s time for work. He bolts out the door straight to my patrol car and awaits me to open the door so he can jump in. He proudly jumps in and is ready to head to work and keep the citizens of Aberdeen safe.