LANESBORO OFFICER HAS A REAL NOSE FOR TROUBLE

LANESBORO -- The Lanesboro Police Department's newest officer weighs
about 70 pounds, gnaws on his favorite rope toy while on duty and
flaunts his shaggy brown-black coat at friendly strangers.

Nitro, the department's 14-month-old German shepherd, just completed
five weeks of tracking and advanced narcotics training with his
partner, Officer James A. Rathbun, at the Schenectady County Sheriff's
Department in New York. He is now certified with the North American
Working Police Dog Association and the New York Department of Criminal
Justice Services' Bureau of Municipal Police standards.

"A dog's sense of smell is 250 times stronger than humans," Rathbun
said. "Nitro is very good at finding drugs and people, but he's not an
attack dog."

This makes Lanesboro one of the few police departments in Berkshire
County armed with a K-9 unit capable of sniffing out drugs, such as
heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana, as well as criminals and
missing persons, said Police Chief Mark Bashara.

"It's another tool we'll use to help our department and other
departments," he said. "I think it's going to be something we'll
easily be able to sustain."

As an example of the unit's value, Rathbun pointed to the Pittsfield
Police Department's K-9 unit, consisting of Officer Dwane J. Foisy and
Iyox, who captured a suspected armed robber earlier this week.

"I've always wanted to do a K-9 unit, but if it wasn't for our chief's
foresight, we probably wouldn't have one," said Rathbun, noting that
the Lanesboro department frequently requested Pittsfield's unit.
"There's definitely more of a need in our community."

Although Rathbun bought the dog himself, the department received
roughly $3,500 in donations from Berkshire Bank and town residents
toward Nitro's training, Bashara added. An anonymous donor also gave
Nitro a bulletproof vest to protect him in dangerous situations,
Rathbun said.

"He's just as important to me as are my wife and kids," said Rathbun,
who also has a 7-year-old white German shepherd, Ross. "He's the best
partner because he's always on the ball, always happy to work, always
looking out for me. It's an incredible feeling."

Rathbun said he acquired Nitro from the U.S. Tactical K-9 Academy in
Mercel, Texas, six months ago. Nitro's parents were imported from
Germany, and his father works for a sheriff's department in Colorado,
he noted.

Rathbun said that he and Bashara worked together to organize the unit
in Lanesboro and to register for training in Schenectady. Nitro
primarily understands German, so Rathbun learned 15 commands in that
language during the training.

At the Lanesboro station, he frequently uses the term "blieb," or
"stay," because Nitro is prone to greeting visitors with a wet kiss or
to jumping after his rope toy.

Besides search missions, Nitro will serve as an educational tool for
the department, Rathbun said. The dog will visit the Berkshire Mall
occasionally as well as Lanesboro schools as part of Rathbun's DARE
(Drug Abuse Resistance Education) curriculum.

"I could go to the mall and do a demonstration every day," said
Rathbun, referring to Nitro's popularity. "Kids just love dogs, and
Nitro adores kids."