BATH

Bath Police Cpl. Michelle Small and her first K9, Keylo, worked side by side for a decade before Keylo retired in 2013. They trained every month, on their time off and while on vacation and at every opportunity. Together, the two tracked criminals and found lost children and people in crisis. A dual-purpose dog, Keylo sniffed out narcotics too. Keylo retired with 333 apprehensions or finds and responded to approximately 1,000 calls.

But on Thursday, Small had to say goodbye to her longtime partner and best friend, who died peacefully at home. Keylo was honored with a police escort to her veterinarian in Brunswick.

A police dog to the core with an impressive 10- year career with Bath Police Department, the 15- year-old German Shepherd eventually accepted retired life and Small’s new German Shepherd K9, Sampson, takes the watch from here.

An animal lover, Small wanted something in her law enforcement career that would challenge her, and found it working with Keylo. Since she got Keylo in August 2002, she’s known nothing different. Having a police dog is an amazing responsibility and an amazing bond.

“It’s allowed me to go places in my career that I never thought I’d go,” Small said.

Before Small and Keylo could hit the streets, they attended 12 weeks of schooling at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy tackling patrol work. The duo soon returned for narcotics detection training. The certifications allowed Keylo to work anywhere in the state.

The two were on their first shift after the patrol training on July 24, 2003 when they got a call that a man had fled his home in Bath and intended to harm himself. Keylo kept working and found the man unresponsive, hiding in the dark under a set of stairs with lattice work. The man had taken medication and spent several days in the hospital.

“She was a natural tracker,” Small said. “She always found people.”

Keylo was also trained to protect officers. Small was able to pop open a door on her cruiser to release Keylo if needed.

In early 2004 Small drove up behind an erratic driver’s vehicle when the driver, a large man, got out and started to charge her.

She hit the button on her belt releasing Keylo, who still a rookie officer, wandered towards the woods as Small focused on the suspect.

As she finally got him against her cruiser, he swung his arm back to hit her.

“She came out of nowhere and grabbed that guy’s shoulder,” Small said. Without a word, “she was in the air above me. I could see the whites of her teeth grab him and he immediately submitted.”

There are many stories like this.

“At no time did I ever meet resistance that wasn’t handled by the dog,” Small said.

Keylo once found an 8- year-old girl with a disability missing for two hours who had wandered into a swamp.

She found a peeping tom as well as burglary and vandalism suspects. She tracked multiple suspects involved in a stabbing in Brunswick in 2011.

Keylo has tracked suspects in pouring rain, gusting winds, and even found a man who jumped from a boat and swam to shore to hide from police.

“You don’t know what your dog is capable of until you put it in those conditions,”

Small said. She’d tell her colleagues that if they can’t find someone and have exhausted every avenue, call for the K9 unit.

“That’s what we’re here for.”

Even though it’s been three year since Keylo was on duty, people still ask Small about Keylo, who could tear down barriers. The two did hundreds of demonstrations as Small said people must understand these dogs have a purpose on the department.

It can be as simple as having a child pet them, and as serious as tracking a suspect involved in a felony offense, and the two are equally important to Small.

“I’ve had the best career because of this dog,” Small said. “It’s been amazing.”

In a letter to her furry friend, Small tells Keylo she had a nose that wouldn’t quit, and the city was a safer place because of her.

“I knew that this moment was going to come as it has for so many other handlers,” Small wrote. “Your unconditional love and willingness to sacrifice yourself so that I may go home at the end of the day is an immeasurable feeling. I love what I do and can’t imaging having done anything different. You made me a better person and the K9 handler I am today.”

dmoore@timesrecord.com