Every single day, law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to protect and serve — and that includes four-legged service members, as well.
Every single day, law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to protect and serve — and that includes four-legged service members, as well.
One such K-9 recently joined the ranks of others in Geauga County.
Rookie and his handler, Geauga County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jacob Smith, make up the newest duo in the county.
Smith and his former K-9 partner, Spirit, a full-bred German Shepherd born in the Czech Republic, had been partners since 2012, working the midnight shift from his first day on patrol.
After Spirit retired last October, having served Geauga County for nearly 12 years, Smith selected Rookie in September 2023 and began training with him at Excel K-9 Services in Hiram Township.
Rookie is a 2-year-old Labrador Retriever born in Columbia, South America, and the youngest recruit at GCSO wearing a vest and badge.
Rookie and Smith completed 10 weeks of training, were certified as an explosives and tracking team and began working road patrol together in December 2023.
“Rookie, just as my former partner, Spirit, quickly found that dispatch was his favorite area due to the dog treats that they have for our K-9 units,” Smith said.
Rookie and Smith are assigned to the Lake County Bomb Squad, which covers Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties.
“We respond to any callouts in those areas and are available to assist other agencies if they need assistance,” Smith said. “We also complete sweeps of venues that will hold large events.”
Spirit has retired with Smith to his forever home and is settling into his new role, but still has the competitive and service drive that made Spirit a K-9 super star.
“Since I brought Rookie home the first time, they (Spirit and Rookie) have gotten along very well,” Smith said. “We spend a lot of time in the yard playing fetch, though Rookie normally wins since Spirit has slightly slowed down.”
Smith, a proud Chardon native, knew in kindergarten what he wanted to do when he grew up. His role model was his father, Ronald Smith, who served as chief deputy sheriff from 1977 to 1985, assisting in starting the sheriff’s office’s first K-9 unit in 1981.
Smith began his own law enforcement career in 2006 as part of a school campus police department.
One year later, the sheriff’s office hired him as a deputy assigned to road patrol.
“Switching to an explosives detection canine with Rookie was fairly easy, but I had to learn a different way to handle and read him,” Smith said. “Rookie’s job is to make sure that there is nothing present in an area that could injure anyone. My main objective is to watch his reactions during training and learn when he is in close proximity to an odor. Our hope is that we will never have to locate any type of device, but we are prepared if that were to happen.”
The sheriff’s office currently has three K-9s in their unit, which attend weekly trainings.
During that time, the teams complete odor work, tracking, evidence recovery and apprehension exercises to keep the K-9’s skills at superior quality.
Smith said their teams also complete a multitude of public demonstrations per year.
“We have been committed to a K-9 unit to support our dog handlers and support the public,” Geauga County Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand said. “They are a great tool that also work as ambassadors to the sheriff’s office. They help other police departments and sheriff’s offices, as well. The dogs are very versatile, they protect their handlers, protect others, track criminals and lost persons, find drugs and bombs, and visit children and adults. They are a very important part of the sheriff’s office.”
The GCSO K-9 unit operates solely on funds donated by citizens and businesses throughout the area.
“Our citizens have been very supportive of the K-9 team because they realize their value,” Hildenbrand said.
Smith added, “Our office would like to express our gratitude to the countless number of citizens and groups that have held fundraisers and made donations to manage the costs of our K-9 unit. It is with your support that we are able to continue having this asset available to our county.”
Smith paraded down Chardon Square with his newest K-9 partner during the last day of this year’s Geauga County Maple Festival to a sea of cheering people.
“It is different having Rookie with me every night now after spending many enjoyable years on patrol with Spirit,” said Smith, who continues to work the night shift.
When Smith gets ready to leave for work, both dogs are waiting at the door.
“I do not think Spirit will ever give up trying to beat Rookie out to the cruiser,” Smith said.
Donations to the GCSO K-9 unit can be made directly to the sheriff’s office by mailing a check to: “Geauga County Sheriff’s Office Fund,” to 12450 Merritt Road, Chardon, Ohio 44024.
