Lying in a shelter, Leonard the Pit Bull was bound to be euthanized. He was just too energetic, never letting go of his toys. Such dogs are hard to handle as pets and seldom get adopted. But Jim Alloway, director of Ohio’s Union County Humane Society, saw a different future for the pup.
Alloway had experience working with police dogs and noticed Leonard’s strong “ball drive” made him a great candidate for sniffer dog training.
He asked Mike Pennington, owner of the Storm Dog Tactical training company, to teach Leonard to sniff out narcotics. Usually, only selected breeds are used for police training, like german shepherds and labradors. But Pennington decided to give the pit bull a try.
And Leonard did splendidly. Mid-May, he became the first K9 officer of Ohio’s Clay Township Police Department.
Leonard’s handler, Chief Terry Mitchell, shared nothing but praise for Leonard.
“He’s doing great,” he said. “He works hard the whole day.”
