Arlington Police Department Welcomes New K-9 Officer
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ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) - A new police officer will soon be patrolling the streets of the city of Arlington. He's young, but you can call him "Dude." He won't mind. In fact, that's the name he answers to.
Dude is the new K-9 officer with the Arlington Police Department. APD spokesperson Steven Bartolotta said Dude came to the department early. "He's a young dog. He's around 20-months-old. He's a Belgian Malinois."
Dude replaces APD K-9 Mojo, who tragically died in the line of duty back in July. Mojo collapsed after he was overcome by heat while searching for a suspect. Mojo, also a Belgian Malinois, was born in Holland and had been with the department since June of 2010.
Mojo's handler, Officer Vince Ramsour, will also be Dude's handler.
So, how did this latest addition to the department get his name? Bartolotta explained, "Every time he would jump on you we would be like, 'Dude stop! Dude quit jumping on people! Dude you gotta quit doing that!' and it stuck."
As far as when Dude will hit the streets -- Bartolotta said it will be a while. "It's gonna be a little bit of a…. maybe a little bit longer in terms of just training him, because he is younger. But it probably is about a four to six month process."
Department officials say they were able to adopt Dude thanks to a generous donation from Tarrant County Blue, a group that responds to help the family when an officer falls in the line of duty. Mojo was that member.
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