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<< Previous   of   Next >> Michael O'Leary / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Marysville police officer Derek Oates on Wednesday works with Ranger, the city's newest police dog. Ranger, a 15-month-old German shepherd, will help police track criminals.   ADVERTISEMENT   About the dogs Marysville police dogs at a glance: History 2001: Marysville police establish a canine unit with two tracking dogs. 2003: A narcotics dog is added to the team. Shadow, one of the original dogs, retired earlier this year. Ranger takes his place. Food Weighing as much as 85 pounds or more, police dogs have healthy appetites. They go through about 40 pounds of food each month. Cost Chosen by select breeders, police dogs are the pick of the litter. Each puppy costs about $7,000. Donate The canine unit is the only police division that relies on the public’s support. Make a tax-deductible donation by mailing checks to the Marysville Police Department, K-9 Program, 1635 Grove St., Marysville, WA 98270, or by calling 360-363-8300, ext. 8371.   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, March 21, 2008 New dog cops Marysville police job By Jackson Holtz Herald Writer MARYSVILLE -- With a shake of his coat and a wag of his tail, Ranger put his nose to the ground and started to sniff. "Search!" Marysville police officer Derek Oates commanded. Running through a field in north Marysville on Wednesday, Ranger wasn't chasing bad guys. He was following a trail of hot dog pieces as part of a four-month training program to become the city's newest police dog. "He's got a great attitude and a great drive," Oates, 34, said of his newest partner. "He's going to work out." Part of getting Ranger to join the Marysville force is raising about $15,000 to pay his costs, Oates said. Several area businesses are helping out. Still, residents are being asked to chip in to help pay about $7,000 for the dog and the rest for equipment, he said. "We need money all the time to keep the program going," said officer Stacey Dreyer, 40. Once fully trained, Ranger, a Slovakian-born German shepherd, will join two other police dogs in Marysville. Like Radar, another German shepherd, Ranger's job will be to sniff out bad guys and girls, following scents left behind as criminals run away. A third police dog, Brody, a chocolate Labrador, uses his nose to sniff out drugs. The dogs all live at the officers' homes. Dreyer is responsible for teaching Oates how to work with Ranger. Oates has volunteered hundreds of hours being prey during police dog training, wearing protective gear and mimicking bad guys for the dogs to chase. Now, Oates is training to be a handler. "The greater preparation is for Oates to read the dog," Dreyer said. A twitch of the ear, a wag of the tail or a change in gait are all clues the dog uses to let an officer knows he is on the right track. "We have to learn the positive and negative indications," Dreyer said. Weekly training will continue as long as Ranger is a working police dog. "If we don't keep up with it, they'll revert to their natural habits of chasing cats and rabbits," Dreyer said.

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