The Twin Lakes Village Board on Monday approved the purchase of a new K9 for the village Police Department
The new dog, named Jaxx, is a malinois. Jaxx, who was born in Sept. 2019, will be purchased from Double Dutch Farms for $10,000, said Chief Adam Grosz.
The purchase was approved unanimously with Trustee Aaron Karow absent.
Jaxx will replace Rex, who left the department in July after his handler, Joe Patla, left the TLPD for another job. The dog was purchased with Patla’s funds supplemented by money raised by the community.
Village President Howard Skinner said the the village had the funds to buy the new dog due to the $18,000 in sale proceeds from Rex.
A handler has been selected and training is expected to begin in March, Grosz said.
Rex’s tenure with the department ended in controversy when Patla sought to keep the dog. The status of legal documents concerning the dog were confused, complicating the situation. Ultimately, the Village Board agreed to sell the dog to Patla. The K9 program in Twin Lakes has been funded largely through community donations.
This time around,. Grosz said the contract governing the relationship between handler, dog and the village will not be ambigious or allowed to expire.
“The K9 belongs to the village of Twin Lakes,” Grosz said.
The malinois breed typically has a longer service life in police work than German shepherds, Grosz said,
“Usually they are healthier for longer,” Grosz said.
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