Methuen Police Chief Scott J. McNamara and the Methuen Police Department are pleased to announce that Officer Griffin Waller has been selected to train with and be the handler of the department’s newest member, K-9 Bohdi.
Bohdi is a two-year-old Belgian Malinois who was purchased with a grant provided by the United State Police Canine Association and the American Kennel Club’s Reunite grant program, with matching funds provided by a generous Methuen business.
The grants and matching funds will pay for purchasing Bohdi, and for Bohdi and Officer Waller’s initial academy training.
Additionally, Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog has provided a $6,540 donation to purchase a K-9 kennel insert and heat alert system for a cruiser that will be used by Officer Waller and Bohdi.
Both Bohdi and Officer Waller will attend Patrol K-9 Handler Class at the Boston Police K-9 Academy Patrol Dog School beginning Sept. 12. Once fully trained, Bohdi will serve as a patrol dog, which includes human tracking, evidence recovery, building searches, and aggression control. After completing the Patrol K-9 Handler Class, Officer Waller and Bodhi will have additional opportunities for specialization, such as narcotics detection training and certification.
In the meantime, Bohdi is bonding with Officer Waller, with whom he will live while the two are partners.
Bohdi replaces recently retired Methuen Police Department bloodhound “Duke” and explosive ordinance detection K-9 “Buddy,” both of whom served the Department with distinction. Buddy was handled by Officer Tim Getchell. Duke was handled by Sgt. Matt Mueskes and Officer Rob Cubelli.
“I would like to thank the United States Police Canine Association, the American Kennel Club, Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog, and the generous Methuen business that made it possible for us to bring Bohdi onto the department,” said Chief McNamara. “I would also like to thank K-9 Duke, K-9 Buddy, and their handlers, Sgt. Matt Mueskes, Officer Rob Cubelli and Officer Tim Getchell for their years of service to the Department. Duke, Buddy and their handlers worked hard to continue showing the value of K-9s to law enforcement and the community.”
To learn more about the United State Police Canine Association, visit: https://www.uspcak9.com/about.
To learn more about the American Kennel Club’s Reunite Program, visit: https://www.akcreunite.org/k9/.
To learn more about Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog, visit: https://mavestadog.org/vests/. ◊