While most of us are sleeping, officers Mark Allen and his K-9 partner Remy are on patrol in Blaine. Their job is to hunt down suspects at night, and search for drugs.
“We can send him in a building to search for a bad guy, we can track a bad guy, we can look for evidence. We find drugs in cars, houses wherever,” says Officer Mark Allen.
“We were able to track through an apartment complex area through a neighborhood and we found a guy hidden in a shed in somebody’s backyard,” said Allen.
So it was scary when Remy suddenly became very ill with a condition that is often fatal to dogs. It forced Remy to have emergency surgery. The veterinarian had to remove 40 percent of the dog’s stomach.
“I didn’t think he would make it,” said Allen. “It is remarkable. Most dogs that get GDV don’t recover from it. The fact that he had 3 surgeries and not just one was able to come back after a month off, pretty remarkable.”
At that time, Allen and Remy had worked together for about four years. The stay at the veterinary hospital made him so upset, he pulled out a catheter and forced the need for another surgery. Then something else remarkable happened. Allen basically moved in with his partner, right in the kennel.
“Very uncomfortable,” laughed Allen. “They gave me a big kennel with a door on it, but it still wasn’t big enough for the two of us, so my legs were hanging out of the kennel just laying there on the floor with him.”
He spent five days and nights in the kennel to keep his partner calm.
“That way he didn’t get the separation anxiety,” said Allen. “I was able to keep him calm so he could heal.”
It worked. Remy was back on the job in about a month. Allen says he’s now 100 percent recovered, even after a fourth surgery last year. Dogs normally serve six to ten years, depending on their health. So it would have been a big loss to Officer Allen and the department to lose Remy after just four years together.
“He’s had 4 surgeries in two years and still working,” said Allen. “Pretty remarkable.”
This year, Officer Allen was recognized for his efforts. He received the Unite States Police Canine Association’s Spirit Award for the region.
