Meet K-9 Officer Blitz - newest addition to Winchendon Police

Meet K-9 Blitz.

The 2-year-old Belgian Malinois is the newest addition to the ranks of the Winchendon Police Department.

Blitz joined the department last August and began his training about a month later, according to his handler, Officer Jim Wironen.

“He’s very energetic, he’s always on the go, he wants to work, and he’s very intelligent and he’s very fast,” said Wironen.

Blitz has hit the ground running since joining the force. He has been trained in criminal apprehension, tracking, building searches, evidence recovery, and handler protection.

“He also does narcotics detection,” Wironen explained, adding that Blitz would attend monthly training courses to keep his detection skills up to date.

The relationship between K-9 and handler is an important one, and Wironen said he and Blitz hit it off right from the start.

“I was the only person who interacted with him when we first got him, so that way the bond between us could build quickly,” he said. “And we do all the training together, we do everything together.”

Blitz takes over the role from K-9 Clyde, who worked at the department for nine years before passing away in January. Wironen said that although Blitz had a somewhat different personality than Clyde, the K-9 officer had settled in comfortably with his new law enforcement coworkers.

“Blitz is fitting in well and he’s going to be a great asset to the department,” Wironen said.

More: A sad farewell to one of Winchendon's finest

Blitz is focused on the job, but also loves attention

The town’s newest officer was a hit with the public too, Wironen said. Blitz impressed residents with his focus and dedication during a few public demonstrations throughout the community, he said.

“He loves the attention,” Wironen said.

Blitz’s work uniform includes a bulletproof and stab-resistant safety vest, similar to the ones worn by his human counterparts on the job.

“The vest is very important for high-risk deployments, and it’s lightweight enough that he can do his tracking and everything while wearing it,” Wironen said. “There’s very little delay because it’s something he can wear all the time – I can just hook him up and we’re ready to go.”

Safety vest donated by Manilow's Canine Playground

K-9 Blitz’s vest was donated by Manilow’s Canine Playground in Devens. Owner Barbara Drury makes an annual donation to various dog organizations each year, and this year she selected Massachusetts Vest-A-Dog, an all-volunteer nonprofit dedicated to providing equipment and training for K-9 law enforcement programs in the state.

“The canines that help serve and protect the police men and women in our state need to be protected as much as they can when they are on duty,” Drury said. “Manilow’s is very proud to be able to help purchase a vest for Blitz to wear, and we are happy to be able to help out one of our local police officers in Winchendon.”

The importance of K-9 officer safety gained national attention after Nero, a K-9 officer in Yarmouth, was shot along with his handler, Sgt. Sean Gannon, while serving a warrant in 2018. Although Gannon was killed in the shooting, Nero made a complete recovery, and the incident resulted in the passing of Nero’s Law, which requires emergency medical personnel to assess, treat and transport K-9s that are injured in the line of duty.

More: State trooper, K-9 partner 'doing well,' after suffering injuries in Hopkinton crash

Blitz helps train EMTs and medics in first aid for dogs

Blitz has played a role in training other departments as they become certified in Nero’s Law procedures, Wironen said.

“They’ve been able to see how to apply different first-aid to dogs, and it’s important to have a live dog instead of a mannequin, so they used Blitz for their training,” Wironen said. “He was actually really good with all of the firefighters and medics and EMTs training on him.”

More: Lifeflight K9 Transport Training Exercise

K-9 Blitz’s role at the department is supported entirely via donations, according to Wironen.

Donations can be dropped off or mailed to the Winchendon Police Department K9 Fund at 80 Central St., Winchendon, MA 01475.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Winchendon Police Department: K-9 Officer Blitz and Jim Wironen