New Pinckneyville Police Dog Had Four Arrests in First Week
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Following 45 days of rigorous training, the new canine officer in Pinckneyville assisted with four drug arrests her first weekend on the job. Ronni, a German Shepherd from the Czech Republic, was purchased with funds donated by resident Howard Smith.
Smith, originally from Cypress, Ill., moved to Pinckneyville to be close to his sisters, who have both since passed away. He lived in California, following a stint in the Navy Air Corps. Smith retired after serving as the Treasurer for one of the country's largest construction companies, based in San Francisco, California. He has made the Friendly Little City his home since 2001 and his generous donations are appreciated by many.
In addition to buying Ronni, Smith's philanthropy made it possible to build the new Caring and Sharing Thrift Shop on Main Street.
"If it keeps one kid off drugs, it was worth the money," Smith said of Ronni.
Ronni will be two years old on March 5. She is young, outgoing and well-trained. Ronni is bilingual; she understands both German and English commands
Training is a near-daily, Murry said. Ronnie is trained to sniff out narcotics, track and protect her handler. She and Murry will train together throughout Ronni's career.
When Ronni is off, she prefers to spend her time with Murry's wife, Ashley, he said.
Police Chief John Griffin, who was the K9 officer for the Perry County Sheriff's Department for six years, said he expects Ronni to serve the department for the next eight years or so. Once a service dog reaches age 10, it is time for them to retire. The normal procedure is for the dog to spend their golden years with their handler as a family pet.
"Without his generosity, we wouldn't have gotten a dog," Chief Griffin said. "It costs about $15,000 for the dog, training and kennel."
He was very pleased to add Ronni to the ranks. Having a police dog helps with drug searches and once word gets around, serves as a deterrent.