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Changing of the guard

Eight years old, Titan just ended his career with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office canine unit. Kosmo, 19 months, is just starting.

By AMY BOYLE
Published March 19, 2006

Inside the small screened-in porch at the back of a modest duplex, two police dogs appear to be on guard.

Ever vigilant, the German shepherds stand immediately when a stranger walks up, their ears perked.

Neither makes a sound, but only a fool would jerk open the screen door.

These police dogs are always ready for work.

But these days, only one of them goes to work.

Titan is an 8-year-old male who retired in January from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office after a productive career.

In 2005, the sheriff's 11-dog unit was responsible for 220 captures.

Titan and his human partner, Cpl. Bob Livernois, or "Liver" to his friends, made 27 of those captures.

"That's an incredible number," said sheriff's Sgt. Tim Pupke, Livernois' supervisor from 2000 through 2005.

Titan also won numerous awards at regional and national United States Police Canine Association competitions. In 2005, with retirement in sight, Titan won second place in obedience and eighth place in apprehension work at a national competition in Evansville, Ind. He competed against more than 100 other police dogs.

It was a good finish, but it was a victory lap.

"I knew he'd be done within a year right after the national competition in 2005," Livernois said. "I didn't want to work him until he couldn't enjoy his life. I could see him slowing down."

At 44, Livernois has spent exactly half of his life with the Sheriff's Office, the last 11 years with the canine unit, which typically works at night, when the dogs are called out to do their best work.

While he didn't expect to get a new partner so soon, the opportunity presented itself late last year when the Sheriff's Office acquired a young male shepherd.

When he saw him, Livernois said, "I knew this dog would make it through school after watching him work."

At 19 months, Kosmo is just beginning his career.

In addition to the initial 17 weeks of training that the dogs go through, there are another eight weeks of training when they specialize in either explosive or narcotics detection training.

Their human partners are part of the training from day one, and the partners must learn to communicate.

"Dogs can't talk so you have to read their body language, which isn't as easy as it sounds," Livernois said. "I'm starting that process all over with Kosmo."

The training continues throughout the dog's career, and bad guys' activities permitting, one day a week is dedicated to ongoing training.

"There's so much more to the training than people know," he said. "You aren't just given a dog who's already trained."

The canines are an investment of time and money. Titan was brought to the United States from the Czech Republic more than seven years ago. His price tag back then was about $3,500.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Livernois said, the cost for quality dogs increased dramatically. Kosmo cost the department about $7,000.

"The vendor provides a one-year guarantee for the dog's health and guarantees trainability," Livernois said. "And we know within eight to nine weeks if the dog will make it (through school)."

While he began working with Kosmo in December, Livernois also continued to work with Titan through January because of the Epiphany visit of His All Holiness Bartholomew, the patriarch of Orthodox Christians worldwide.

"There were a lot of bomb searches going on," he said.

He brought Kosmo home two days after he began working with him.

Fortunately, Titan had no problem with Livernois' new partner.

"He showed no aggression," Livernois said.

Still, there was virtually no transition from active duty to retirement.

"I just got up and got dressed for work one day and took Kosmo," Livernois said. "Though, to this day, when I'm getting dressed, he's (Titan) waiting at the door.

"He still wants to work."

[Last modified March 19, 2006, 19:34:03]