MONTGOMERY - The newest member of the Fallsburg Police Dept. can run 25-32 mph and track down robbers with one sniff of his powerful nose.

His name is K-9 Koos and last Friday he earned his badge after graduating from the Orange County Sheriff's Office K-9 Academy in Montgomery.

It wasn't an easy road.

The 13-week course was interrupted twice by COVID-19 pauses, but Fallsburg Police Officer Jordan Fedun and his K-9 partner stayed the course and were officially recognized at an outdoor ceremony that featured nine other dogs and 175 in attendance.

The K-9s represented police departments throughout the Hudson Valley, including Ulster, Orange, Westchester, Delaware and Rockland counties. K-9 Koos and Officer Fedun were the only Sullivan County representatives.

Patrol School Spokesman, Officer Phil Mugnano, said, “These dogs were trained in obedience, agility, tracking and search. They are now ready to return to their departments as certified.

“They can help locate missing children or locate suspects who are hiding from the police,” he said. “They are trained to serve in all kinds of weather and are now ready to serve and protect their community.”

Fedun, a Liberty H.S. grad who went off to Hilbert College to earn his degree in Criminal Justice, served one year with the New York State Corrections Dept. before joining the Town of Fallsburg Police Dept. in 2017.

“I got Koos in February of this year,” Fedun said. “My K-9 will not only help out our department but any other department which needs us.”

Currently there are four trained K-9s serving Sullivan County, including two on the Fallsburg Police Dept.

K-9 Koos is a Belgium Malinois, a breed originally bred for sheepherding.

According to the American Kennel Club, “The smart, confident, and versatile Belgian Malinois is a world-class worker who forges an unbreakable bond with his human partner. If you have ever seen a Mal perform an obedience routine, you know firsthand what a smart and eager breed this is.”

That was never more evident than last Friday, when K-9 Koos joined the nine other graduates in several obedience demonstrations.

Fedun and his partner were asked to do one of the more difficult obstacle course routines, the Catwalk.

During this routine, Fedun sent his K-9 climbing up a 6-foot ladder and then across an 18-inch wide platform which was six feet off the ground.

Before his K-9 returned to the ground, Officer Fedun commanded his dog to sit, stay and then heal.

K-9 Koos performed this task without hestitation.

Later in the program, Fedun and Koos were again asked to perform one of the more complicated demonstrations - finding a “criminal” who was hiding in a shed.

As the entire crowd looked on, Fedun and Koos quickly ran by each one of the six mini sheds located behind the training center and Koos stopped at the fifth one, barking at the person inside.

Officer Fedun told the “criminal” that he and his K-9 were outside and ordered him to surrender.

Instead the ‘bandit' ran for it and within seconds Koos had the bad guy subdued with his strong jaws.

Not done yet

Fedun said he and his partner will be going back to the Orange County K-9 Academy for two months to get trained in narcotics detection.

With the ability to smell things 1,000 times greater than a human, K-9 Koos will be invaluable in his job.

“It is definitely good to have Koos as my partner,” Fedun said.

Parting words

Officer Mugnano said, “You will spend more time with your K-9 than anyone else in your family. It's up to you to continue to train your dog and truly believe in him.

“You and he have two hearts rolled into one. We are one - truly our K-9 will be our best friend,” he said. “Trust your dog.”