Monticello police ends K9 training of rescue dog

A rescue dog taken in by the Monticello Police Department to become its next K9 unit will not fill the role after a trainer determined his makeup is not conducive for the job. 

Monticello Chief of Police Britt Smith said in a press release that the department was told by a trainer that Bozi could not maintain his focus in completing law enforcement tasks when distractions and real-life influences were introduced during a certification test. 

This comes as a disappointing blow to the department, Smith and Bozi’s handler, Keanan Shannon, the release states, though the department will continue searching for its next four-legged officer. 

Bozi’s story was followed closely by the Monticello community after his adoption from Animal Welfare Friends. The department led a subsequent fundraising campaign to send Bozi to a training facility in the hopes he would become a K9 unit to help sniff out narcotics. 

Smith said it was during that training when Bozi began to exhibit signs that he may not be the right pooch for the position -- a job that requires “complete reliability,” Smith said. 

“In the controlled training environments we create and practice in, Bozi is able to complete the tasks he is being trained to perform,” Smith said in the release. “However, when distractions and real-life influences are introduced, his ability to maintain his focus and drive towards completing the tasks becomes unreliable. This is a personality trait that we cannot overcome in a timeframe that would lead to him having a lengthy and successful career.”

Smith said as an adoptee, Bozi’s history was murky, and recently learned details about his upbringing affirmed officials’ observations about the dog. 

“Not every dog is suited for the demands and expectations of this assignment, but it does not discount or discredit the efforts that were taken to provide him the opportunity to live the life of service,” Smith said. 

The fundraising campaign backing Bozi garnered $13,064, and less than $1,000 was spent to send Bozi to training and to cover incidental expenses. Smith said the journey to find Monticello’s next K9 unit is not over, and the department will refocus on evaluating different dogs for the role. He said the raised funds will be “utilized for our continued pursuit of bringing a K9 back to the community.”

Smith also said due to the community’s embrace of Bozi, a portion of the donations were given specifically to the dog. Smith said he will reimburse donations to anyone who wished for their money to only benefit Bozi. Fundraising for Monticello’s K9 program in general will continue, Smith said, and will be subject of future community events. 

Bozi will remain in the community, not as a police K9 unit, but as a pet for Smith’s family, who said they will adopt him permanently. 

“Bozi is a great dog and has a forever home with my family,” Smith said. “Bozi gets along great with all of our two-and four-legged family members and is settling into his own.”