Sunday, January 25, 2009 — A suicidal man who was submerged in a south suburban forest preserve river was located and rescued by a member of the Cook County Sheriffs Departments K9 Unit, Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced Monday. Dart detailed the rescue at a press conference, where he also introduced the newest member of the Sheriffs K9 unit, a pit bull rescued from a local shelter last year.
Sheriff Tom Dart, Melanie, Sheriffs Police Officer Jim Pacetti The river rescue was carried out by a 1-1/2 year-old bloodhound, Melanie, and her partner, Sheriffs Police Officer Jim Pacetti. On Jan. 18, Sheriffs officers responded to a call of a despondent man who had told his parents he was going to kill himself. Police got the call around 5 p.m. and traced his cell phone to the area of a forest preserve near 87th Street and LaGrange Road in unincorporated Lyons Township, but were unable to locate the 36-year-old man. Melanie was called in around 8 p.m.
MelanieMelanie sniffed the mans pillowcase, then led officers into the woods. She followed a trail for ¼ mile before venturing west for 300 yards. She then turned and went 250 yards north and began pulling harder toward the east. She led officers 50 more yards, where they found the man semi-conscious and half-submerged in water around 9:30 p.m. Temperatures were around 5 degrees and the man was not wearing shoes and couldnt move until police arrived. Melanie became a member of the Sheriffs Department last year, thanks to a donation by 832 K9s Deputy Dogs, a not-for-profit group based in Florida. Of the 17 dogs in the Sheriffs K9 Unit, she is the only dog specifically trained to search for missing people. Melanies efforts show the important role these dogs play as vital members of our department, Dart said. She was able to lead our officers far into the woods to find a man who might have frozen to death without her work.
Elliott NessAlso Monday, Dart introduced Elliott Ness, a 4-year-old pit bull rescued from a Burr Ridge shelter last year. The dog is the countys first dog trained to locate cadavers.
The Sheriffs Department was linked to Elliott thanks to the efforts of Burr Ridge-based Angel 4 Cause Rescue. Elliott was rescued from an abusive environment and still shows signs of hesitancy, but has quickly taken to cadaver work. Partnered with Sheriffs Police Officer Debbie Thedos, Elliott was certified as a cadaver dog by the North American and Illinois Police Work Dog Associations after just three months of training. Dart was joined at the press conference by dog behavior expert and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist/radio host Steve Dale, who discussed the ways pit bulls and other bully breeds can be successfully saved and rehabilitated. Dale hosts the Pet Central radio show every Sunday night on WGN-AM (720) and also writes a nationally syndicated newspaper column, while also operating his website, stevedalepetworld.com. So many people have misconceptions about pit bulls and similar dogs and because of that, many never get adopted from shelters, Dart said. Many of these dogs, like Elliott, can be saved and worked with to lead happy, healthy, productive lives.
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Meet the Deputy Dogsby K9DeputyDogs722 views
This sheriff is such a publicity hound. Start doing real police work tommy. Your making are dept a laughing stock of the country. Your sacrificing the safety of your officers so you can get on tv. Were short staffed all over the dept and your spending millions of dollars of tax dollars
on prostitution, dog fighting, and digging graves only for your political gain.
patrick524555 2 years ago
Great work! Great Job Melanie!
finelinefinishes 2 years ago
i love it!
thank you so much for seeing the positive in the breed, and using that to combat the negative image...
great job, keep it up!
PawsitivePitBulls 3 years ago