Meet Lily! Lily is the brand new K-9 Officer joining the Huntington County Sheriff’s Department and she’s making history in the Michigan County as the first hired female officer on the rolls. Huntington County has had a female Sheriff before, but she held the distinction of being elected, not hired. Deputy Austin Smith accompanied by Sheriff Chris Newton and Chief Deptuy Chad Hammel traveled with the 16-month-old Dutch Shepard from her birthplace in Belarus to her new home in Huntington County, Michigan.
“She was originally born in Belarus and shipped over here where she stayed in Michigan at the kennel where we picked her up and brought her home on Friday,” Smith said.
In a statement posted to Facebook, The Huntington County Sheriff’s Department wrote,
“The Huntington County Sheriffs Office is proud to announce, that we have our new K-9 and first full time female officer.
This morning Sheriff Chris Newton, Chief Deputy Chad Hammel and K-9 officer Austin Smith travelled to Michigan and after 4 intense hours and 16 dogs we came home a winner.
This little lady is a 16 month old Dutch Shepherd that has been named “Lily”. She is a fantastic and beautiful animal and we couldn’t be prouder to have her in our family.
K-9 Smith will begin his training in a couple months in Allen County, with their Sheriff’s office, for 16 weeks. Until then, they will get to know each other, and start the bonding process.”
A Bright Future For A Young Huntington County Officer
Legally speaking all Police dogs in the U.S. are equivalent to their human ‘partners’, fully sworn officers, and are accorded all of the privileges thereto (within reason), given their shorter lifespan and the extensive training they generally serve for about eight years.
Local affiliate WPTA21 reported after Lily’s long trip home,
“The long-distance traveled is making for a partnership that Smith believes will make the community safer.
“She can search for children or missing adults,” Smith Said. “She’ll sniff for narcotics and then she’ll also be trained in handler protection, so she’ll do some bite work and she’ll be trained in some obedience.”
As Lily prepares to go through the most difficult test of her young life, Deputy Smith knows she has a bright future.
“I look to see a long, healthy career from her,” Smith said. “Hopefully she can make some big busts and get some drugs off the street.”
Deputy Smith said that Lily will go through 14 weeks of training starting at the end of the month. She’s expected to start in December.”
