K-9 dogs are part of police officer's family

By Steev Riccardo

You may have heard that the Webster Police Department recently 
received a donation from Doody’s Animal Inn in Ashby, MA, which 
made it possible for them to purchase a heat-sensing device for 
their two K-9 dogs.

This device monitors the temperature and the battery voltage 
inside the police cruiser, and also sets off lights and sirens, opens 
the windows, and starts a fan if it gets too hot in the police cruiser. 
On top of that, it also activates a pager carried by Officer Aaron 
Suss, the department’s K-9 handler, to make him aware of any 
problem. 

Suss was pleased with the donation because it was a necessary 
device that keeps the dogs safe.  Radar and Red are not only 
invaluable to the police department, but they are also a part of 
Suss’s family. They actually live with the officer, his family, their 
family dog, and three cats. 
“They mean the world to me; they are part of the family. I invest a 
lot of time and effort into them.” said Suss. 

The K-9 program was reintroduced to the department in 2007 and 
Suss was one of two officers who applied for the position and 
eventually received it. 

“When we first started the program we had Diesel, a Dutch 
Shepherd.” Unfortunately, Diesel had an environmental problem 
with slippery floors, a common problem with some dogs, but a 
more serious one for a police dog, and so he had to leave after 
only six months.

Diesel was, however, successful during his short reign with the 
department. He once tracked down a robbery suspect’s cell phone 
in the woods, which led to a key arrest.  “We were able to recover 
a few thousand dollars worth of stolen items, thanks to him,” said 
Suss, “it was a great feeling.”

Suss became attached to Diesel and was sorry to see him go. It 
was a hard choice but one that had to be made. He is currently 
working at UMass Amherst with a police dog handler after being 
donated to the school.  “I saw him on the Internet and he was 
working, which made me very happy.” 

With the program a success due to Diesel’s effective work in his 
short time with the department, a replacement, Red, was brought 
in to continue forward with the program.
Red, an American-bred German shepherd, was born on a farm in 
Maine. At 80 pounds, Suss describes him as “a fearless dog that 
will jump on top of any surface.  He is a very good drug dog.”

Suss once pulled over a car for a simple traffic violation and found 
out that the driver’s license was suspended for distribution of 
narcotics, which was just cause for a search.  “I used Red to 
search the car and he located drugs that I would not have found 
because they were inside the seat tucked in the lining. Red was 
looking at me and trying to tell me that they were in there, I never 
would have found those drugs if it wasn’t for him.”

Unfortunately, Red has had some health problems that cut down 
on his stamina, which becomes an issue after long chases. “I went 
to the Chief and explained to him that Red had some limitations 
and we put together a proposal to get another dog that could split 
the duties with him. With his drug work we can control his activity, 
but as far as tracking goes, he needs the gas in the tank when it 
comes to engaging someone,” said Officer Suss.

Since things were going so well with the K-9 program a second 
dog was approved.  Radar, who is only two years old, joined the 
department after being bred through the Barnstable county police 
department. Suss raves about his abilities, “Radar has been in 
boats, helicopters, he is not afraid of noise, and will go into any 
situation.  He has a lot of energy.”

On top of all that, Radar has a great relationship with Red and the 
Suss family dog Guinness, who holds down the fort every day 
when his buddies go to work. “All three dogs get along with each 
other fine” said Suss. They have a big yard and often play and run 
around together.
Suss emphasized that “The dogs are a tool, they are not the end 
all, be all, but they provide a valuable piece of the puzzle and they 
help us solve crimes.  They can tell you where someone goes and 
they can also tell you if someone was not in a certain place.”  He 
can give numerous other examples of how they have helped the 
department.

Suss has also put a lot of his own time and money into these 
dogs and treats them very well. It was a pleasure to see the 
relationship that exists between the dogs and Officer Suss and it 
also makes you feel good that they are part of this community 
helping us all stay safe. 

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