Sequim police dog Chase calls it a career

SEQUIM — After years of biting down on crime, Sequim’s K-9 officer Chase officially retired this week.

Sgt. Mike Hill with the Sequim Police Department, Chase’s partner and handler for about nine years, and Sequim City Council members agreed to a purchase agreement of $1 Monday.

Hill said he picked up Chase, who is 11, from a North Carolina kennel at age 2. Chase was bred in the Netherlands and underwent 400 hours of training over three months in 2008 to work in Sequim.

Earlier this year, Chase became inactive for police work after a successful surgery to remove a mass from his intestines.

Sequim police staff said Chase was set to retire this year anyway, but his age and health speeded the decision.

Chase and Hill have more than 100 arrests together and have assisted in more than 100 other arrests with other agencies.

Sequim Police Chief Bill Dickinson said Chase was used for tracking but not for drug scents.

“The more immediate thing is to capture people who have run away or to recover stolen property that they’ve hidden,” he said. “That’s one of the skills we really want to focus on.”

Chase also served as the driving force for the Sequim Dog Park agility course and in several public demonstrations.

Dickinson said he and Hill plan to seek out another dog to replace Chase but it could take several months, including the 400-hour training program and finding a nearby training officer.

Officer Tony Bush, a Sequim native, was selected as the next canine handler for the Sequim Police Department. He transferred from the Port Angeles Police Department in February.

Dickinson said the officers vying for the position were Sequim’s three top-producing officers.

“We do intend to carry on with the tradition,” he said. “The community has been very supportive.”

Dickinson said he anticipates donations will pay for a new dog.

Training for the handler and dog is paid for by the police department.

“Dog costs have been all funded by the community and we’re very grateful,” Dickinson said.

“Chase has been the city’s dog. He’s everybody’s dog.”

Chase’s tenure follows former K-9 officers Huey and Titus — the latter, who was the dog before Chase, retired due to allergies. The Sequim K-9 unit began in 2000.

Ongoing costs such as health care and food are funded with an ongoing fund.

Checks for donations can be made out to the “Sequim Police Department K-9 Program” and go directly to the program.

Donations can be made by contacting the Sequim Police Department at 152 W. Cedar St. or at 360-683-7227.

________

Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him at mnash@sequimgazette.com.