Streetsboro Police Department's newest K-9 Mika is nearing end of her training

It's almost the end of a long road of training for the Streetsboro Police Department's newest K-9.

Police Chief Tricia Wain told City Council that Mika, the 9-month-old German shepherd who joined the department last fall, is nearing the end of her training and would soon be coming to a meeting to be sworn in after she's certified by the state.

Wain didn't specify a date for the event, but speculated that it could take place in late March or early April.

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In the meantime, she wanted to make sure no council members had a problem with "big, really happy German shepherds."

"She is amazing, and she loves everybody," she said. "She will probably want to come see everybody."

Mika and her handler, officer Luke Nelson, have been undergoing training at Halo K-9 Training Services.

Mika is the daughter of Bagio, the K-9 partner of Twinsburg police officer Joshua Miktarian, who was slain in the line of duty in 2008. Years before his death, Miktarian, who had dreamed of always having one of Bagio's descendants by his side, had a specimen preserved for future breeding. Last year, Miktarian's widow, Holly, and their daughter Thea decided the time was right to pull the specimen out of cold storage and breed it with their German Shepherd, Nala.

Mika was one of six puppies born from that litter last May, and was selected to be Streetsboro's K-9. The other puppies in the litter have homes with private families.

Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Streetsboro Police Deparment's K-9 Mika to be sworn in soon