7/26/17 – The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office officially swore-in a new police dog last night. Tek is a two-year-old German Shepherd who comes from a pedigree of four generations of working dogs and is trained in narcotics detection, human tracking and handler protection. As part of the ceremony, Sheriff Dale Schmidt said the canine program has already helped forge strong community partnerships. He noted a $5000 contribution from Countryside GM to support the purchase of Tek along with a nine-year-old girl who raised $214 by foregoing birthday gifts. Schmidt says from a young girl to a large company (quote) “our community recognizes the importance of law enforcement and the canine program.” Deputy Taylor Nehls is now on the beat as Tek’s handler. Deputy Nehls says he is very excited to begin this new assignment which is something that he has wanted to do his whole life. He says being able to cover more shifts with a police dog presence will be extremely beneficial to the community. Deputy Nehls is the son of former Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls, who tells us he was initially concerned that it would be challenging to introduce a new dog into his son’s young family. The former sheriff says he gave his son some stern fatherly advice but he nonetheless competed for the position because it was his passion. Todd Nehls says Taylor wanted the dog bad enough that he finally caved in and now he is very proud of his son and expects a lot of great things from him and his new partner in coming years. Deputy Nehls and Tek are joining Sgt. Joseph Nicholas and K9 Kid and Deputy Gilbert Fairman and K9 Ziva on the roster.
