LawDogsUSA - K9 Neville -  Washington State Patrol -  Explosives Detection Team

K9 Neville has quite a story. When Ontario, Canada, Attorney General Michael Bryant used his position to ban and kill the breeds he fears so much, all bull breeds were at risk. The law Bryant enacted meant all unclaimed bull breeds in Ontario shelters were to be killed - or worse - sent to research laboratories. A dedicated group called Bullies In Need started working frantically (and still are) to find homes outside of Ontario for the "refugee" bulldogs.

With the help of an anonymous donor who paid his airfare, a veterinarian clinic which let him stay a week for free, many volunteers who helped transport, and a kind woman in Washington state (Carrina Collard) who took him in, Neville was saved. Once in Washington and looking for a home, Neville tried out for the LawDogs program and was a huge success!

Neville is a working explosives K9 for the Washington State Patrol, the state's premiere law enforcement agency. He regularly screens vehicles on the Washington State ferry system - currently rated the United States most "at risk" transportation system. He is also called upon to do such varied tasks as search for spent bullet casings at crime scenes, respond to bomb threats and search for explosives at Seattle-Tacoma International airport.

Neville's handler, Trooper Dave Dixon, can't say enough good about his partner who lives in the house with a male Labrador and a male beagle. K9 Neville is very popular with ferry riders, and has even been kissed by Gray's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo! K9 Neville could not have gotten a better handler!  Trooper Dave Dixon takes awesome care of this partner, looking out for him, keeping him comfortable and giving him a lot of love.

Canada's loss is the United States' gain!  One country kicked him out due to racial profiling, fear and prejudice - and now he proudly works for US Homeland Security!

Update - 04.07: K9 Neville has become a favorite with regular ferry riders and continues to make finds of guns, fireworks, bullets and other "explosives". Bomb dogs don't rack up "finds" like dope dogs - yet their work is even more important. Let us hope K9 Neville continues to do his job - and never does find a bomb!

K9 Neville and LawDogs:    http://www.lawdogsusa.org/k9neville.html

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From left:  Lindan Spromberg, Allison Dietz, Leanne Evans and Linda Ness enjoy the company of pit bulls  Gage, Morgan, Diva and Nutmeg at Animal Critical Care & Emergency Services on Lake City Way.  The Seattle Times - Photo:  Dean Rutz

September, 2008:  Lifesaving donations turn "pit bull" dogs into blood hounds

He often didn't have enough food or water and he never got human affection or one-on-one attention.

But he was one of the lucky few.  After being rescued by a neighbor, the "pit bull" dog is now doing work that saves lives, according to Lindan Spromberg, of Seattle, who took him from a backyard breeder nearly nine years ago.

Gage is now an "ambassador" for a misunderstood breed, she said.

Gage has donated more than 5 gallons of blood to the animal blood bank at Animal Critical Care & Emergency Services on Lake City Way, and is credited with saving the lives of countless other dogs in the process. "Gage always knew that he was doing something good and that he wanted to do it well," said Christina Ryan, the clinic's marketing coordinator and a blood-bank assistant. "He was just amazing."

Dogs have two major blood types: positive and negative. Dogs with positive blood can accept either negative or positive blood. Dogs with a negative blood type can accept only blood from other negative donors.

Like many "pit bull" dogs, Spromberg's dog Gage possesses the rarer negative blood type that makes him a universal donor for all dog breeds.  Other breeds have negative blood, but "pit bulls" have a greater tendency than other breeds to have negative blood. Only about 30 percent of all dogs have negative blood.

Blood that's supplied by Gage and the several dozen other cat and dog donors goes to animals that need a transfusion because of traumatic injuries, exposure to rat poison, surgical blood loss, bone-marrow problems and other health issues.

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Ellie at the courthouse

KING COUNTY, Wash. -- If dogs can smile, Ellie's grin reaches ear to ear.  The Labrador mix seems to love helping people get through traumatic experiences at the King County Courthouse.

"I think that really can help people get through the whole process with a little bit less trauma," said Page Ulrey, senior deputy prosecuting attorney.

Ellie spends a lot of time working with kids. She offers them comfort in trying times, like testifying about crimes they've witnessed or experienced.

"They are sitting in these interviews, telling a stranger about having been sexually abused, and instead of just sitting here with nothing, they get to have Ellie and pet Ellie and have Ellie's head on their lap while they talk about what happened," Ulrey said.

Ellie and her canine partner, Jeeter, also play a role in drug court. They give defendants at risk of dropping out a reason to stay clean.

A drug court judge says the dogs teach life lessons, too.  "Some of the kids developed a sense of responsibility because they would take care of the dog during court proceedings," said Superior Court Judge Laura Inveen. Prosecutor Ellen O'Neill-Stephens started the courthouse dog program -- the first of its kind in the nation.

King County's success has already inspired Snohomish County to bring two specially-trained dogs on board. And Kitsap, Thurston and Pierce counties are looking to launch their own programs.

Even drug czar Gil Kerlikowske is looking to introduce dogs in drug courts across the country.  Plans are still tentative, but the former Seattle police chief has seen its success first hand.  "I think this is the next step for using dogs in the criminal justice system," O'Neill-Stephens said.

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Bogie:  A hero, honored by the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association

In 2007, Bogie, short for Humphrey Bogart,  a nine-year-old Australian Shepherd, helped his owner,  Ms. Barbara Balkema of Snohomish to safety, after she suffered  transient ischemic attacks or “mini-strokes” while working on her small farm. Bogie found Ms. Balkema and led her to the house so she could call for help. When the emergency medical technicians arrived, Bogie barked to announce their arrival and led them to Ms. Balkema.

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What is a dog bite?

While the question seems simple enough,  the answer is often not what we imagine.

Over the past 3 decades, increased awareness of the importance of humane care and control of dogs, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been instrumental in lowering the number of reported dog-related injuries nationwide.

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Do Pit Bulls in Washingon State Inflict Injuries Unlike Other Dogs?

A study* was conducted of 40 children (aged 0 to 16) who had been admitted to two  hospitals in Washington State and a hospital in Missouri for severe dog bite injuries.  These admissions had taken place over a period of nine years. The hospitals were:

Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, Washington (23 patients)
Mary Bridge Hospital, Tacoma, Washington (5 patients)
Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri (12 patients)

Three of the 40 children died as a result of their injuries.  All three fatalities occurred  in Washington.

Of the 37 admissions for non-fatal dog bites, the average hospital stay was 6 days; and 12 of the children spent time in the intensive care unit. The most common injuries were to the face, head, and neck area (82%). Major surgical procedures on these patients included craniotomy, exploration of the neck or abdomen, ocular procedures, and repair of fractures.

All the victims had soft tissue damage.   

16 of the children had fractures, 13 of which were to the skull or facial bones.

Dogs identified as other than "pit bull" dogs were responsible for 36 of the 40 incidents of death or hospitalization due to severe dog bite injuries.

Further, none of the dogs involved in the three fatalities were identified as "pit bull" dogs.

* “Severe Dog Bites in Children,”  Thomas V. Brogan, Susan L. Bratton, M. Denise Dowd, and Mary A. Hegenbarth.  Pediatrics, Vol. 96 No. 5 November 1995, pp. 947-950

National Canine Research Council

Over the past 45 years (1965 -present) there have been nine (9) dog bite-related fatalities in Washington State, an average of one (1) fatality every five (5) years.

NCRC's 2011 Preliminary Report on Dog Bite-Related Fatalities illustrates the challenge of accurately reporting on these extremely rare, tragic events. Our mission of preserving the human-canine bond obligates us to be as accurate about these emotionally charged incidents as we can, so that they are calmly, correctly and, therefore, usefully understood. Accuracy takes time.

At least seven (7) different breeds/types of dogs have been reported to be involved in these incidents.*

The victims were 2 adults and 7 children.

All the child victims had either been left alone with a dog or had wandered off to the location of the dog.

In 1978, a six-week-old Federal Way infant was killed after he was left unattended with a dog that had just recently been allowed into the home.

In 1990, a six-day-old infant was left unattended on the floor of his grandmother's Lacey home. The grandmother's dog attacked and killed him.

In 1999, an elderly woman visiting her daughter in Port Orchard, went out into the backyard. The daughter owned two dogs, a neutered male and a female. For reasons unknown, the male attacked and killed the woman. The female did not participate.

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In 2003, a mother visiting the home of an acquaintance in Tacoma,  allowed her 3-year-old child to play, unsupervised, in the backyard with three unfamiliar dogs. The two intact males and one intact female were reportedly "being kept at the premises as a favor for a friend." One of the male dogs attacked the boy. The other two dogs, although able, did not participate.

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 *Note: In recent years, scientists have established that visual identification of dogs of unknown origin is extremely unreliable; therefore, while we can be sure these listed incidents involved varied types of dogs, we cannot be certain of the accuracy of most breed identifications.  

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In spite of the reckless and dangerous ownership practices of some owners and/or parents, dogs still pose an incredibly low risk for causing a fatality in Washington:

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

In 2007, twenty-seven (27) Washington State children died as a result of maltreatment (abuse, neglect).

In the single year 2007, more than 4 times as many Washington children died from maltreatment than the total of all children killed by dogs in the state over the past 45 years.

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Fact is, people in Washington State routinely accept far greater risks from ATVs, bicycles and swimming pools than any that are associated with companion animals.

National Canine Research Council