At the reception to honor Virginia Police Work Dogs, hosted by the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, I sat with friend and sculptor, Larry Bechtel following the unveiling of the state's first-ever tribute of this kind. Larry was the artist chosen to create the sculpture to honor fallen police dogs.
I watched in respectful silence as officer after officer stopped by to shake Larry's hand and thank him for creating the exquisite statue of the German Shepherd who stands with his right paw lifted in salute. The names of the 12 dogs who have died in the line of duty are inscribed on the base of the statue.
One officer from Albemarle County stayed for a while telling the story of how Ingo, his K-9 partner took a bullet that saved the officer's life. It had been six years since Ingo's death, yet the pain and sadness of the loss remains sharp. "I spent more time with Ingo than I did with my family," said the officer. "My kids still have their dad because of Ingo. We still have his collar." Ingo died on October 24, 2004.
The tribute drew K-9 units from all over the state. The dogs and their handlers stationed themselves in a semi-circle at the back of the sculpture. Uniformed officers, all of them tall and strong, impressive in their dark-colored uniforms of black, blue or brown, carried a single, white, long-stemmed rose and placed it atop the base of the statue as the name of their fallen K-9 partner was read aloud by Virginia's Attorney General William C. Mims.
I don't know what it's like to lose a partner--someone you've trained with, trust, and respect--someone who is with you day-in and day-out and understands you with a single nod of your head or movement of your hand, but I witnessed the strength of this unique bond among the officers and their K-9 partners. Together they honored their fellow officers at a place where toughness and tenderness meet.
Related articles can be found on Handshake 2.0: Virginia Police Work Dogs To Be Honored and Virginia Police Work Dogs: "So that you may live, my life is yours."
Additional media coverage by WSLS: Memorial at Virginia Tech honors police dogs killed on duty | WSLS 10 http://bit.ly/4pDcHb
All photos taken using Olympus Stylus Tough 6000 on loan to me by Olympus.
Love the Ingo story, Kelly. Wish I could have heard all the dogs stories. The irondog event the next day was another place where the tough and tender met. We might have to go every year.
Posted by: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1036271001 | 10/19/2009 at 02:58 PM