K9 Officer Amy Pugh and K9 Aldo spent much of the last year training together. (Submitted photo)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

A little over a year into his service, the Port Clinton Police Department’s cutest furry officer is loving his job. (We’ll let the department fight over who is the cutest officer without fur.)

K9 Aldo Rose, a 2 ½-year-old Belgian Malinois, spent much of the last year in training. He is required to undergo a minimum of 16 hours a month of training, but he has spent about 24 hours each month learning how to be a better police dog. Of course, he doesn’t know he’s training. For him, it’s all fun and games.

In May, Aldo attended a training conference in Tampa with his handler, K9 Officer Amy Pugh.

K9 Aldo doesn’t seem to mind that K9 Officer Amy Pugh wrapped him in bandages during an Ohio Tactical Officers Association conference at Kalahari this summer. (Submitted photo)

“We learned from master trainers from all over the country. It was an amazing hands-on experience,” Pugh said.

The conference included a water deployment class that taught Waldo how to apprehend a suspect in water. It was a perfect opportunity for a K9 from Port Clinton.

“Apprehension work is a prey-driven activity. The prey is the reward, and water is the obstacle he had to get through to get the reward,” Pugh said. “He never swam before. He loved the water.”

K9 Officer Amy Pugh and K9 Aldo Rose have been partners for over a year. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

In June, Pugh and Aldo trained at the Ohio Tactical Officers Association annual conference at Kalahari Resorts in Sandusky.

“It’s for SWAT teams, and they’ve been adding more and more canine classes,” said Port Clinton Police Department Detective, Devin Woods. Pugh took a medical class, where she wrapped Aldo in bandages.

“A lot of it is scenario-based training. It’s real-life situations,” Pugh said. “It’s about making mistakes in training, so you don’t make them in real life.”

In October, Pugh and Aldo traveled to Indiana for American Tactical K9 Association training.

K9 Aldo swims during water apprehension training in Tampa in May. (Submitted photo)

“There was lots of hands-on training there, and it was also about networking. I met people from all over the country,” Pugh said.

Pugh’s trip to Indiana was funded by a scholarship she won through the Spike’s K9 Fund, which provides “custom-fit ballistic vests, protective equipment, medical cost assistance, and access to top-of-the-line training programs,” according to its website.

“I love the program. It’s amazing,” Pugh said.

K9 Aldo has tracked suspects and found narcotics in the last year. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

Training has just been one part of Aldo’s first year with Pugh. He has proven himself as a valuable member of the Port Clinton Police Department. He has tracked suspects, found narcotics, and assisted other local police departments.

“Every day is something new,” Pugh said.

Aldo is also the PR face of the department. He has visited Girl Scout troops, Kiwanis Clubs, Rotary meetings and church groups. He was a special guest at Safety Town, and he was popular on a visit to the Sassy Club at the Ottawa County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

K9 Officer Amy Pugh and K9 Aldo Rose have been partners for over a year. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“That was a lot of fun,” Pugh said. “They are a great group.”

Aldo serves within the department, too.

“He’s a good morale booster to have around the station. He’s personable and friendly, and everybody loves him,” Pugh said.

The last year has been an education for both Pugh and Aldo.

“We’re learning together as a team,” Pugh said. “If I’m having a good day or a bad day, it goes down leash.”