NEWS

Highway Patrol loses former K9 Roy

Todd Hill
Reporter

BUCYRUS – The condolences came in by the hundreds this week to the Bucyrus Post of the Ohio Highway Patrol following the recent death of an officer.

Roy, a K9 officer with the patrol's 13-county Bucyrus district, died March 19 at the age of 13. He was retired from duty four years ago. His longtime handler, Trooper Gary Wolfe, is still with the Bucyrus post, but no longer works on the K9 unit.

Roy, a K9 officer with the Bucyrus Post of the Ohio Highway Patrol, died March 19 at the age of 13 and a half.

"The bond was pretty strong. He was with me every day, both as a pet at home and then with me at work every day. He stood beside me all day long," Wolfe said of the dog.

The Bucyrus post said Roy had a very productive career with the Highway Patrol, and seized more than a million dollars in illegal drugs and U.S. currency during his eight years on the K9 unit, from 2003 through his retirement in the fall of 2011. Wolfe was Roy's handler that entire time.

Roy's principal duty was sniffing for illegal narcotics; he wasn't trained in apprehension.

"He worked the road with me and did searches and any assists with other law enforcement agencies, and on prison searches, looking for narcotics there," said Wolfe, who added that he always felt safe with Roy on the job with him.

During his eight-year tenure with the Bucyrus Post of the Ohio Highway Patrol, Roy was responsible for the seizure of more than $1 million in illegal drugs and U.S. currency.

"Although he wasn't trained in bite work and self-defense, I've no doubt he would've acted like any dog when it came to protection," the trooper said.

Roy often had a different effect on those the patrol pulled over, however.

"Our natural instinct when we're guilty of doing something we're not supposed to be doing is fear, and when a drug-sniffing dog is right behind you they're pretty hard to fool. Dogs can sense multiple things," Wolfe said.

Roy was born in the Netherlands in September 2001, and shortly thereafter began a long period of training for law enforcement work.

"Depending on the training that's involved, the pre-training can take several months, and then anywhere from two to 10 weeks of training with the handler. It's getting to understand what motivates the dog, understanding his aggressiveness, and why he does what he does," Wolfe said.

"It works on a reward program. When he finds something, he's rewarded with food or a toy. It's all about play and having fun. It's work to us, but to him it's playing a game."

"We could see he was starting to slow down with age," Wolfe said. "They offered me another dog, but I didn't want to do it."

Wolfe is in his 23rd year with the Ohio Highway Patrol, working on licenses and inspections as well as normal traffic duties, but is no longer on the K9 unit.

"I kind of went cold turkey, but I do miss having him with me," he said of Roy. There are three dogs assigned to the patrol's district headquarters in Bucyrus, with two more slated to be brought on board soon.

Shortly after the Highway Patrol's Bucyrus post posted news about Roy's passing on its Facebook page Thursday, people responded, with hundreds of comments and thousands of likes. Many thanked Roy for his service.

"You lived a long life and did so many good deeds," wrote one commenter. "I know you are waiting for Trooper Wolfe," wrote another.

"We loved him so much, He will be missed badly. I know my family feels as if we've lost a family member. Thank you, everyone, for the kind words," Wolfe's daughter, Michaela, wrote on the post's Facebook page.

thill3@nncogannett.com

419-563-9225

Twitter: @ToddHillMNJ

During his eight-year tenure with the Bucyrus Post of the Ohio Highway Patrol, Roy was responsible for the seizure of more than $1 million in illegal drugs and U.S. currency.