New Danville Police K9 member

Residents of Danville will be getting to meet the newest member of the Danville police department this spring as K9 Rony hits the streets.

Rony (RAH-nee) is a highly trained police dog who will be used on patrol to assist officers in a variety of situations. He and his partner, Officer Tyler Nelson, will be making the rounds and getting to know Danville residents.

Rony is a two-year old male German Shepard/Belgian Malinois mix. Rony was born and raised in the Czech Republic where he was extensively trained to be a “Schutzhund” dog. Schutzhund is a German word meaning “protection dog.”

Schutzhund is a dog sport that was developed in Germany in the early 1900s as a breed suitability test for the German Shepard. The test would determine if the dog displayed the appropriate traits and characteristics of a proper working German Shepherd Dog. The Schutzhund requirements are very demanding and few dogs are able to pass.

Schutzhund tests dogs for the traits necessary for police-type work. Dogs that pass Schutzhund tests are suitable for a wide variety of tasks: Police work, specific odor detection, search and rescue, and many others.

After completing his Schutzhund training, Rony was shipped from the Czech Republic to a kennel in Southern California. Rony was then put through an extensive testing process in which he stood out from the other dogs. As a result of Rony’s success, he was chosen to be the next Danville Police K9.

After being purchased from the kennel, Rony went to a K9 school with his handler, which consisted of 5 additional weeks of training to hone his skills as a police dog.

Rony will be used to track suspects or missing persons, detect drugs, search buildings, and apprehend violent suspects who pose a danger to the community.

In addition to being an effective police dog, Rony is very sociable and friendly. Rony loves to play and interact with people. Due to his social personality, Rony will be used to perform demonstrations for the public in which citizens will have a chance to meet him and watch him in action.

Rony loves to be at work and is highly motivated. Rony will be an integral part of the Danville Police Department for several years to come.

Rony is a great addition to the police force. His abilities will be used to help keep Danville a safe and wonderful place to live. If you see Rony out on patrol feel free to ask Officer Nelson to meet the friendly new addition to the Danville Police Team.

For more information about the K9 program at the Danville Police Department,contact K9 Officer Tyler Nelson at (925) 314-3700 or [email protected].

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