Officer Dave Nist works with Marysville Division of Police’s new K-9 officer, Mido. Nist is currently training the dog which is still getting acclimated to his new handler, the department and the community. The dog will live with Nist and his family. (Photo submitted)
Marysville Division of Police has a new officer and Mido is his name.
The year-old Dutch shepherd recently arrived in Marysville and will serve as the community’s new K-9 officer.
Marysville Deputy Chief Tony Brooks said that when the dog is fully trained, it will be able to detect drugs and be used as a drug-sniffing dog, and able to track missing people and apprehend suspects.
Mido will be a partner for Officer Dave Nist, who started the city’s K-9 program. Nist helped select the puppy, which came from Holland.
“We have a relationship with this breeder,” said Brooks.
He said several of the city’s past K-9 officers and many others in the area came from the same facility.
While Nist did not go to Holland, he spoke with officials at the training facility and told them what the city was looking for in a K-9 officer and what he was looking for in a partner. The facility selected Mido as a good fit and sent several videos.
Local officials said they knew quickly knew Mido was the dog for them.
Nist said that even young, Mido was doing some of the best narcotics work he has ever seen.
Mido arrived in the United States the last week of August and Nist went to get him.
“They have been inseparable since then,” Brooks said.
A certified trainer, Nist is able to work with the dog full time, both while on duty and at home. Brooks said Nist is “the perfect choice” as handler. So far, the dog has been getting acclimated to Nist, the department and the community.
Nist’s long-time K-9 partner, Bear, died in June. Brooks said department officials talked about whether Nist or another officer should handle Mido and about the timing for a new dog. He said they wanted to be sensitive to the bond Nist and Bear had.
“We discussed that with Officer Nist and he was ready to take the next dog,” Brooks said.
Officials said Mido has “some skills Bear didn’t have.” Brooks described Mido as “a go, go, go dog” adding he is “high drive, very motivated.”
The city paid $8,700 for Mido and his training in Holland. Department officials considered buying a puppy, but recognized the dog would not be ready to work for some time. Through his training in Holland, Mido is already trained to detect cocaine, crack cocaine, MDMA, heroin, fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Nist said he plans to have Mido certified in narcotics detection by early October. Once that is complete, he will start working on patrol dog training for things like tracking and apprehension.
Brooks stressed that while Marysville does not have the drug problem that some other communities have, there is still a need for drug interdiction in the city and on U.S. 33. He said the presence of a dog will often be enough for those with drugs to tell the officer.
He said the dog will also give the city an ability to track children or adults that have wandered away from caretakers. Brooks said the city is seeing “more and more” individuals with diminished mental capacity walking away.
Most of all, a dog “is an easy way for people looking to approach Officer Nist.”
“At the end of the day, we always want people to be able to come up to us and talk to us,” Brooks said.