Geauga County Sheriff's Office deputy, K9 marking 10 years of working as team

Jul. 25—Trust is a major part of the working relationship between a law-enforcement K-9 handler and their dog.

That observation was shared by Geauga County Sheriff's Office Deputy Jim Dhayer, who has nearly 20 years of experience in teaming up with dogs that function as K9 officers.

"If you're on a track, and you think the guy went right, but the dog is taking you left, trust the dog and go with him, because most times he's right, you're wrong," Dhayer said. "He's on a leash, but it's almost like you let him off the leash. Keep a loose leash and let him drive to where we're going. If you don't trust the dog, you're not going to be very successful."

Dhayer's partner on patrol and for specific assignments is K9 Miner, who's an 11-year-old male German shepherd and Belgian malinois mix. They began serving as a K9 team in 2012. From 2003 through 2011, Dhayer worked alongside K9 Phantom, a pure male German shepherd. Phantom was euthanized in 2011 because of a medical condition.

Dhayer said the personalities of his two K9 dogs have been different.

"Miner is like the silent hunter, because he doesn't bark or growl when he's on task, and you don't know he's coming," he said. "But Phantom would bark and growl like crazy."

After Phantom's passing, the Sheriff's Office arranged to acquire a new K9 for Dhayer. The dog that later became known as Miner was purchased at Excel K-9 Services in Hiram.

Excel also was the place where Dhayer and the dog both went through six weeks of initial training.

The name "Miner" was selected for the new dog by Fairmount Minerals of Chardon. Before merging with a competitor and becoming known as Covia Holdings Corp., Fairmount Minerals had a division called Best Sand, which specialized in mining sand.

"Fairmount Minerals donated funds in 2012 to purchase Miner," Dhayer said. "So the sheriff at time (Dan McClelland) gave them the right to name the dog."

Dhayer and Miner are certified through the Ohio Peace Officers Training Commission and the North American Police Work Dog Association in narcotics detection and patrol.

In addition, Dhayer serves as supervisor of the Sheriff's Office's K9 unit. This team, when it's at full strength, consists of four handlers and their dogs, and provides the sheriff's office with one K9 handler and dog per shift.

However, Deputy Travis Goodwin currently is waiting to be matched with a new dog, after his previous partner, K9 Argo, retired.

So, at this time, Dhayer and Miner are joined in the unit by Deputy Greg Borden and Rotar, and Sgt. Jake Smith and Spirit.

Dhayer also is designated by the state as a law-enforcement K9 evaluator.

K9 handlers and their dogs must be recertified every year after graduating from their initial basic training, said Dhayer, who's been conducting those evaluations since 2012.

A standard evaluation for recertifying a law-enforcement K9 team usually can be completed in eight hours, he said.

Those assessments are graded on a pass/fail basis. K9 teams that fail generally have a common deficiency, Dhayer said.

"Usually it's not the dog, it's the handler," he said. "Some of the newer guys, it happens, because they're so worried about, because it's test day, certification day, and they're all nervous. It's like, 'Why be nervous? Pretend this is another training day. And you'll be fine.' "

In Ohio, K9 teams are required to complete 16 hours of training per month each year. It's common to see officers and dogs from various law-enforcement agencies gather regularly to hold a larger training session.

For example, the handlers and dogs from the Geauga County Sheriff's Office train each week with K9 teams serving police departments from Mantua and Oakwood villages, to name a few places.

While constant practice helps dogs retain their skills, there are other factors that drive these four-legged crimefighters to work and succeed, Dhayer explained.

"This is a game to these dogs," he said. "All they think is, this is fun. Because if it's not fun, they're not going to want to do it. Because when they come out, they know they're going to get rewarded."

Dhayer said he typically rewards Miner with toys when he accomplishes a mission. He doesn't give out food as bonuses to prevent Miner from gaining too much weight.

K9s also typically enjoy being praised by their handlers for a job well done.

"They want to make their 'dad' happy," Dhayer said.

He began working in law enforcement in 1994, and all 28 years of his career have been spent with the Geauga County Sheriff's Office.

He became a K9 handler after one of these positions was posted within the Sheriff's Office.

"I was interviewed for it and I was picked," he said.

Over the years, Miner, accompanied by Dhayer, has been called upon to do everything from tracking down criminal suspects who are at-large to checking vehicles for narcotics and performing drug sweeps at area schools.

"Wherever we're needed, we'll go," Dhayer said, noting that he and Miner have been dispatched to calls for assistance from sheriff's offices in many counties.

The Sheriff's Office K9 handlers and their dogs also make appearances throughout each year at the Great Geauga County Fair, Chardon Maple Festival and other community events.

"It's funny, because the people that will see you off duty will say, 'You're Miner's handler,' " Dhayer said. "They won't remember your name, but they'll know the dog's name.' "

Miner, who also resides with Dhayer outside of work, lives a pretty typical dog's life in his free time.

"You can take (K9s) wherever you want to go," Dhayer said. "Miner and I went fishing once or twice together."

At this point, he's not sure when he'll decide it's time for Miner to retire.

"He's still healthy; he wants to come to work," Dhayer said. "He knows when I'm getting dressed (in a deputy's uniform), it's time to go."