Gone to the Dawgs

Gone to the Dawgs is a collection of true short stories of criminal incidents involving a unique police officer - a working dog from a K-9 detail. The author spent nearly twenty years in the K-9 Detail, and shares here some of his more amusing stories from his time as a police officer, with his four-legged partner, a dog trained to be a manhunter from the K-9 detail. The stories range from the serious, where there are major crimes committed and injuries incurred, to the ridiculous, where criminals act in such odd ways, it defies explanation. The author shares these stories not only to entertain the reader, but to also highlight the difficult and varied work of police officers, both human and canine! This book highlights a sometimes dangerous and necessary job within a police department. The stories contained in this book demonstrate the unique way police dogs have been incorporated into the police force in a helpful way, that is rewarding to both canine and his human partner. The police dogs are highly trained to sniff out the bad guys who always think they can elude being found by the police during this high stakes game of hide and seek, but learn very quickly that no matter where they hide the dogs will usually find them. In the end their failed attempt to freedom will be short lived and they will go to jail feeling defeated from a worthy adversary. Working in the K-9 detail is one of the best kept secrets in any police department and also one of the most rewarding jobs a police officer could ever have. The fact is you are getting paid to pet a dog while playing the adult version of hide and seek. Bad guys these days do not respect police officers as they did years ago, but they damn sure respect and fear the dog!

Originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee I moved to Houston back in the early 80's during the big oil and gas boom. The Houston Police Department had started a nationwide recruiting campaign due to the high volume of people moving into the city and I applied to become one of Houston's finest. Once hired by the department I began learning about Law Enforcement in cadet class #95 on January 12, 1981 in the HPD Police Academy and upon graduation was assigned to the Central Patrol Division. I continued to work at that location for approx. (19) years where I became a field training instructor (FTO) and also worked on the SWAT perimeter team. In June of 2000, I applied to the police K-9 Detail and continued working there until reaching my retirement (17) years later. I worked with (3) different police patrol dogs that were all single purpose manhunters. The last police canine dog that I worked with is named "Lex" and he was lucky enough to retire with me on February 25th, 2017. My wife Robyn and I have been married for almost (32) years have two grown children (Carrie & Cody). After writing this book I went back to work in the summer of 2019 and currently work for another Law Enforcement agency located in Montgomery County, Texas.