A new police canine for the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is completing training in preparation to join the department later this summer.
Born in Hungary, the sheriff’s department’s new Belgian Malinois named Szabi was purchased on May 13, road division commander Capt. Dave Steinkoenig said.
The cost of the dog, as well as his training and other expenses, totals $16,572 — most of which is being paid for by private contributions, Steinkoenig said.
The donations poured in after the department’s K9 Diesel was struck by a vehicle and killed Nov. 14 on I-65 while pursuing a domestic violence suspect into some nearby woods.
Just after the news broke that Diesel had been killed, the phone lines at the sheriff’s department started ringing off the hook, Steinkoenig said.
“People were asking how they can (contribute) to a new or replacement dog, as well as how they can help with our veterinarian bills,” Steinkoenig said. “The community really stepped up and helped out. To be honest, without that, we would not have been able to (purchase Szabi) without the donations.”
Diesel was purchased in 2016 with funds from Real World Testing LLC in Columbus and donations solicited by then-dispatcher and now Deputy Dylan Prather, who raised $18,000 then to obtain Diesel for the department.
Prather, a 2014 Columbus North High School graduate, will be Szabi’s handler.
He and the new K-9 are in their fourth week of training at Vohne Liche Kennel, located north of Peru, Indiana, in Miami County. The two are expected to complete their training and return to Columbus on June 18, Steinkoenig said.
The breed of Belgian Malinois is often used by police departments for their K9s because the breed is known to have a perfect sense of scent that can be trained to find drugs and explosives. The Belgian Malinois is also known to have a keen intellect, a strong sense of loyalty, and — through not naturally aggressive — are known for their protective qualities toward their handlers and owners.
