Valko is Waikato District's oldest police dog. Photo / Jane Dunn Photography
Valko is Waikato District's oldest police dog. Photo / Jane Dunn Photography
Valko, Waikato District’s oldest patrol dog, is retiring after eight years on the front line.
During his time on duty, he has tracked down Head Hunters hiding under decks, bounded through bustling workshops to stop criminals and sniffed out offenders concealing themselves in the reeds of the Waikato River.
Although the fearless German Shepard is certified until October, he will soon sign off from operational duties, as his handler Sergeant Mark Sandford will step back from the front line to focus on training the future dog squad.
Mark has been a frontline dog handler for more than 20 years, starting off in Hawke’s Bay in 1990 before moving to Hamilton in 1998.
He was also an instructor at the Police Dog Training Centre in 2002 and Breeding Services Manager from 2005 to 2012 before he returned to Hamilton as Dog Section Supervisor.
Waikato Dog Section is now the biggest it has ever been, with 10 full-time members and more coming on board under the new Tactical Response Model, and Mark says his focus needs to be on the supervisory role and training.
Valko will stay with his handler Mark when he retires from the front line. Photo / Jane Dunn Photography
He’ll still respond if it’s critical and would never turn down a chance to help track down an offender when needed, but he won’t be on the roster.
“You’ll always love the thrill of tracking someone down with a dog. You never lose that. But there’s a lot of satisfaction in training handlers and seeing them go out and do the same with their dogs,” Mark says.
Valko is Mark’s fifth dog and came to the Waikato at eight weeks old from the Police Dog Training Centre breeding programme.
Valko was fostered out until he was 11 months old and showed his people skills right from the start.
He has a calm temperament and is bold and confident, with all the typical traits you look for in a police dog, Mark says. He likes to chase a toy and play tug-of-war. He’s high energy, always on the move and not too much fazes him.
“Valko is now nearing that retirement age and he’s only working part-time here and there. He’s really good with people. He’s a dog that we use for school visits – and still will - because he’s very social. He has a very stable temperament,” Mark says.
In his time on duty, Valko has assisted in catching dozens of offenders from the King Country to beachside Coromandel communities.
Mark recalls a callout years ago when his fellow dog handlers Vinnie Gibson and Cliff Bell were fresh on the beat.
“They were tracking an offender who’d done a runner from SH1 near Karapiro to the banks of the Waikato River.”
Hearing the updates, Mark decided to respond with Valko. While Vinnie and Cliff cleared one area, Mark headed downstream, knowing the fleeing offender wasn’t likely to go against the current.
“Within 10 minutes Valko had sniffed him out at the river’s edge, leading [me] to a pair of eyes peering out of the water. It’s about knowing the conditions and knowing the dog would pick him up on the wind scent,” Mark says.
“The biggest thrill as a dog handler is that our dogs help us to catch people who wouldn’t be caught.”
In another case, Valko caught a patched gang member attempting to conceal himself under decking with his hand over his mouth – hoping to stymie the scent.
When Valko retires, the partnership between Mark and the furry and four-legged detective won’t end: Valko will live at Mark’s home, where he’s sure to be entertained.
