To serve and protect – and feed dogs.
That became the modified police motto for a veteran sheriff’s deputy and his trainee this week when they happened to bump into a woman who had previously come to them asking help in finding her dog that went missing.
Training day became training in at least one old school community-based policing practice for the trainee Deputy S. Ratcliff – and her trainer – Deputy D. Barkon.
“A few weeks ago one of our training officers and his trainee responded to take a dog theft report in a local parking lot,” Shirley Miller, spokeswoman for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station wrote in a post placed on the sheriff’s social media.
“The woman reported to the deputies that her English Springer Spaniel had been stolen,” she wrote.
Days went by and training continued until one day, trainer and trainee ran across the same dog owner.
“The other night when the deputies were on patrol, they spotted the same woman,” Miller wrote on her post.
“They approached the woman to see if her dog was returned and as they got closer, they saw she had a dog. The woman confirmed to the deputies that her dog, Shyloh, had been returned to her.”
The happy dog owner mentioned to the deputies that her plan was to save enough money to purchase not just dog food but the “good stuff” dog food.
“After they got back in their patrol car, the deputies were talking about what a nice dog Shyloh was and how much her owner cared for her,” Miller wrote.
Reflecting the on the dog owner’s plan to purchase the “good stuff” dog food, the veteran cop shared with his trainee the suggestion of purchasing the “good stuff” dog food for the dog owner with their own money.
“The training officer discussed with his trainee how it would be a nice gesture to go to the pet store and use their (own) money to buy dog food and treats for Shyloh,” Miller posted on the sheriff’s social media.
“And that’s what they did.”
Moral of the old school notion: Show compassion for others, and if it is in your power to help someone, take the extra step and do it, Miller wrote.
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on Twitter @jamesarthurholt
