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This morning we welcomed Schaumburg Police Officers Vito Rago, Denis Schmitt and canine Majic to our club meeting.  Majic is a purebred German Shepherd born in the Netherlands in 2009 and sworn in as a member of the Schaumburg Police Dept back in October 2011. Police dogs are a vital part of police work these days since they are used for drug searches, tracking offenders and other searches.

 

Majic and his partner, Officer Schmitt, trained together for 5 weeks at  Vohne Liche Kennels in Denver, Indiana prior to Majic’s arrival in Schaumburg.  All dogs and handlers have individual personalities and the trick is to influence the behaviors of both so they respond positively to each other for maximum efficiency.  Vohne Liche is known as the industry leader for training highly skilled police/military dogs that specialize in narcotics and explosives detection.

Majic will soon welcome a second dog to the Schaumburg Police Dept.  Officer Rago stated that ideally Schaumburg should have 3 dogs given the size of our community and the fact that we are home to Woodfield Mall which is a major tourist attraction.

On a related note - on this same day a Portland, Oregon police office was wounded and his canine partner Mick was killed in the line of duty while responding to a burglary incident. Police dogs are trained to bond with their handlers and become a part of their families and lives as a result.  Click here to learn more about the tribute paid to Mick by his department and other police/K-9 units.