IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (WZMQ) – The Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office proudly introduced their newest member, Cheeto, an 18-month-old Belgian Malinois from the Netherlands. After two weeks with D&D K9 Dynamics in Gladstone and a month-long academy training with Deputy Randall Howe, Cheeto has become the first K9 officer in the department’s history. The revival of the local K9 program was made possible by an anonymous donor after the Iron Mountain PD retired their K9, Falcon.
Sammi Grzybowski, President and Trainer of D&D K9 Dynamics, explained, “Between myself and Marty Munger, we pre-service the dog. Once placed with the handler, they go through academy. We train the dog and handler to perform the tasks needed.”
Cheeto’s skills include narcotics detection, apprehension, handler protection, building searches, tracking missing people or fugitives, and article detection. Grzybowski described Cheeto as a “very social, high drive Belgian Malinois,’ and confirmed he was well-prepared for his duties after training with D&D K9 Dynamics.
Master Trainer Marty Munger added, “He’s ready to get to work. He’s literally certified right now with NAPCH, which is the National Association of Professional K9 Handlers.”
Deputy Howe expressed gratitude towards D&D K9 Dynamics for their assistance in preparing Cheeto. “So far, it’s been going pretty good with Cheeto adjusting to our family and the new environment here. The Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office is fortunate to have him. We’re excited to bring this to our community and our agency. Special thanks to D&D K9 Dynamics and everybody there for helping us get started,” he said.
Reflecting on the early stages of their work together, Howe shared, “We’ve only had a couple shifts on the road so far, a couple traffic stops, that’s about it. We’re hoping to integrate with our local squad teams and support community events, so people can meet him. He enjoys being around kids and people who love dogs.”
Cheeto is already a hit with the community. 5-year-old Connor Ford, an apprentice trainer at D&D K9 Dynamics, shared, “He thinks he likes having fun with kids.”
The same donor funding Cheeto’s program is also supporting a second K9, Scout, for Kingsford Public Safety. Officer Rodney Woodward has been chosen as Scout’s handler. Woodward mentioned, “We’ll bring him into the school anytime they want us to do a demonstration or just let kids meet him. Another big thing is the airport is in our city, so we are their first go-to if there’s a big emergency response.”
Both officers are thrilled to have Cheeto and Scout joining their forces, believing the community will greatly benefit from these additions. Donations will support the Dickinson Area Working Canine Program, ensuring their active service in the community. Kingsford Public Safety plans to introduce Scout this fall – sometime around mid-September, with both agencies pooling donations for the working K9 program.
To contribute to the Dickinson Area Working Canine Program, contact either the Sheriff’s Office or Kingsford Public Safety.
To contact the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office:
https://www.dickinsoncountymi.gov/government/county_departments/sheriffs_department.php
To contact Kingsford Public safety:
https://www.kingsfordmi.gov/173/Public-Safety
D&D k9 Dynamics also does private pet training classes, aside from their working dog and handler training. For more information or to find out how to get a dog trained, visit:
