Welcome

WELCOME

Hi-
I'm Atlas, a Police Canine (or K9) for the Oceanside Police Department. I am a Belgian Malinois. I work with a Police Officer partner, also called a "Handler", his name is Kevin. Together we are a K9 team and we patrol the City of Oceanside. Our job is to assist other police officers in doing their jobs and making things safer for them. I have a really good nose and my handler teaches me to use it to search for things. Right now I'm getting good at finding people my handler wants me to find. I can look in buildings, fields, lots, inside cars and find somebody hiding. I'm still getting use to riding around in a patrol car, the siren makes me howl, LOL! Anyway, I started this blog so you kids could see what kinds of stuff I'm up to. Check in here and there and see if I've posted any updates. Maybe I'll see you around, I'll try not to bark at you :)

Monday, November 25, 2013

Do Your Best!

“In the dust of defeat as well as the laurels of victory there is a glory to be found if one has done his best.” -Eric Liddell


As a police dog we are constantly training, constantly trying to get better.  Like any person we have strengths and weaknesses.  I always try to fine tune my strengths and improve my weaknesses.  We are far from perfect but the important thing I have learned is that you keep trying, you don't give up, you do your very best.  Have you heard of Eric Liddell?  He's the man in the picture above.  Eric was a championship sprinter and he won the Gold medal for the 400 meter in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. There are many things amazing about Liddell's life, there was even a movie made about him called Chariots of Fire.  Liddell was not a favorite for the 400 meter because he was a shorter distance runner, the 100 meter specifically was one of his strongest events.  A 400 meter race requires a bit more strategy in terms of energy conservation and when to maximize your speed.  Liddell flew out of the starting blocks, he was expected to burn out and surprisingly he didn't. Liddell won the race and set a new world record doing it.  The race was just a small part of the amazing things Liddell accomplished.  He stuck to his principles, he did his best and he didn't always win but there was glory in much of what he did...win or lose.  

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

K9s for PAWsitive Interaction

October has been a good month filled with demonstrations and extensive training.  We also had a professional photographer do some great photos of me and the rest of the K9 Team. Amelia at Banyan Photography was awesome and we highly recommend her if you are considering having photos done and she is great with animals like me!  Visit www.banyanpetphotography.com 

My handler and I are also trying to start a program that involves Police and local youth called, "K9 P.I. (K9s for PAWsitive Interaction).  It's mission is to "Foster positive interactions between local youth and K9 Law Enforcement Officers to promote goodwill through deeds and actions." 

Our first action really was getting this blog going and the next step will be getting more consistent with posting (I know, I've been bad about it).  The plan will be to have posts twice a month and we will shoot for the first and third Wednesday.  We also started our Operation to promote goodwill.  Recently while on patrol in one of Oceanside's neighborhoods that is full of good people but also has a gang problem, we came across a little girl about 4 years old who wanted a sticker.  We offered her  something better if she could tell us if she had done anything to help someone else today.  The girl said she had helped her mom to make her bed and she cleaned her room with her mom.  Instead of a sticker we gave her a backpack filled with a bunch of little toys and games....you should have seen her face.  Hopefully we can continue and expand this idea but eventually we will need some support...for now we are keeping things simple and growing slowly. Every little bit helps though right!

Have a great day!

Monday, September 30, 2013

Oceanside Harbor Days 2013


It was great seeing all you kids out at Oceanside Harbor Days this weekend. On Saturday myself and K9 Nero did three demonstrations throughout the day showcasing what we can do.  These demonstrations are a great way for us to interact with the community and educate people about police canines.  Sunday, I got the day off but K9 Max and K9 Gonzo got a chance to show off! 

The other great thing is we had some awesome volunteers helping us out running an information booth and collecting donations. People were very generous and all the money we raised will go to helping dogs like me in the future in case of an unforeseen medical problem or something like that.  Anyway, it was great seeing those of you who came out and look forward to seeing more of you in the future.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Charity

Charity is doing something good for someone else with no expectation of anything in return.  Some people give money or items and others give time and effort. You can do nice things for people you know, such as friends or family or you can do something for a total stranger.  The little bit I've been working I've learned that there are lots of people out there that need help, there are a lot of people that have less and its nice to see other people helping out.  I want to encourage everyone reading this to do something nice for someone they don't know, someone you think needs help with something. 

Friday, August 30, 2013

Working...


So I've been working consistently without injury for a few weeks now! I feel great and have managed to cause a couple "bad guys" to give up because I'm so scary, LOL!  I was still getting some laser treatment from the vet and Myopulse/Acuscope Therapy from Bev and it has really helped my leg to feel 100 times better.  The highlight of the last couple weeks was doing a demo with K9 Nero at a US Marine Corps family day event on Camp Pendleton, it was an honor to show off a little for our Marines and their families since they do so much for us. 

Monday, August 12, 2013

Passed my Test

Today, after almost 3 months off the street from my injuries I re-certified!  Certification is a test they put you through to make sure you are capable of meeting the minimum requirements for police work. I was nervous but we made it!  We also found this cool barrel in my neighborhood that we brought home for me to jump on! Hope I can stay healthy and can report back with some neat stories!

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Happy 2nd Birthday to me!

I turned 2 years old today and Yesterday was a great early birthday present....I returned to training and continue training today! If all goes well I should be back on the streets working this time next week...that would be a great birthday wish come true. We also got these K9 coins made which came in yesterday...lots of fun things going on!