Kahn and fellow officer Chief Deputy Carl Ballengee
Ballengee puts dog through paces with instructor's help
"The arm of the law becomes a little longer with a police dog," says Chief Deputy Carl Ballengee, with the addition of a trained one-year-old German Sheppard being added to the Calhoun County Sheriff's Department.
"This is the first patrol dog to actually be used full-time in Calhoun," said Ballengee. It will become Ballengee's partner.
"Kahn" went through several training exercises yesterday at Calhoun Middle-High School, under the tutelage of Precision Canine Services of Hurricane, where Ballengee has been spending weeks "going through the ropes" to assure he and Kahn will be a police team.
The addition of a police dog to the Calhoun Sheriff's Department has been made possible by a $6,500 donation of a former citizen who has expressed a desire to help the county.
The AKC Kahn will become an official deputy in April or May, said Ballengee.
The dog, which is leash-trained and responsive to verbal and hand signals, will be able to track missing persons and apprehend suspects. He can also be used as a drug sniffing dog.
"This has been an exciting event for me to have this dog," said Ballengee, who has frequently participated in police dog activities with other handlers over the past 15 years.
The deputy said "I'm eternally grateful to the donor who is making this possible."
Ballengee is one of four candidates for Calhoun County Sheriff.
Precision K-9 Services also does obedience training for private owners.
See precisionk-9services.com
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