CARLSBAD, N.M. – Alf, one of the Carlsbad Police Department’s loyal Police Service Dogs, has announced his retirement.
“He has been diagnosed with a degenerative bone condition and has been suffering from a lot of pain due to the rigorous physical regiment they have to maintain through training and normal service,” explained Carlsbad Police Chief Shane Skinner. “Alf has been in service with the Carlsbad Police Department since 2017 and has a proven track history of narcotic detection. His wonderful demeanor and outstanding work will be missed.”
Alf will retire to the home of his current handler, Corporal Chris Caron.. Meanwhile, a generous $20,000 donation from Chevron, as well as contributions from several local residents, has made it possible for a new service dog, Alex, to join the team.
“Thanks to Chevron and several amazing local donors, we’ve been able to quickly move forward with replacing one of our three K-9 dogs,” Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway said. “We appreciate everyone’s assistance with helping keep our community safe.”
The City of Carlsbad’s K-9 program was reestablished in 2017, under the direction of Mayor Janway. The highly-trained Police Service Dogs complete several months of coursework with their handlers. After his graduation with Corporal Caron. Alex will join PSD Aris and PSD Nia at the police department. Corporal John Bonnell is Aris’ handler and Officer Judy Brakeman is Nia’s handler. All three dogs are Belgian Malinois.
In addition to their usual roles and responsibilities, the Police Service Dogs have made frequent appearances when the Carlsbad Police Department visited drive-by birthday parties throughout the COVID-19 shutdown.
“Police dogs are a valuable and beloved resource to the police department, and we’re honored to help bring a new one to the community,” said Beverly Allen, Chevron-Delaware Basin Community Affairs Representative. “When we learned about the retirement of one of the K-9 unit dogs, we couldn’t pass on the chance to sponsor a new police dog.”
Funds donated will be used for the cost of the new dog, training, officer training, additional equipment and retrofitting a police vehicle to include the dog.
Local donors who also supported the new K-9’s purchase were Wayne and Sara Ballard, Ray and Karen Westall, George and Nancy Brantley, Valerie Murrill and several donors who wish to remain anonymous.
In 2019, Chevron made a donation to the City of Carlsbad allowing for the development of a bomb squad. Previous contributions included adding “no slip” tiles to the Carlsbad Water Park.
“Chevron’s assistance to this community has always focused on safety,” Mayor Janway said. “We know we can count on them to help us and always will be able to do so.”