Dog Begins Works For Sheriff’s Office

Ali, a canine, joined the Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office force last week.

Deputy Adam Weinberger is the handler for the 14-month old dog. Weinberger completed three weeks of canine handler instruction in Rock Springs, Wyo. Areas covered included obedience, narcotics locations and human trafficking.

So far, Ali has assisted with a live deployment regarding a vehicle that underwent a narcotics search. “It’s our first week back,” Weinberger said on Thursday.

Ali is a giant schnauzer, which might seem a little different for a trained canine in these parts.

“It’s unusual in the United States but more common in Europe,” Weinberger explained.

He also worked with two others dogs, but he and the master trainer decided that Ali was the best fit.

Because Ali originally lived in Germany, Weinberger needed to take a short course to learn basic commands in German.

Weinberger shares that Ali is getting along fine in the household and has made friends with Weinberger’s daughter. “He loves her,” he said.

The addition of the canine to the Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office was paid through grants and seized drug money.

Weinberger and Ali will cover the county’s western end while deputy Russ Corbell and Bjorn handle the eastern end.

“The tribes have one and we have two because our county is so big,” Weinberger said.

The deputy noted that the dogs aren’t only valuable for possible drug-related incident also searches for missing individuals including children.

Weinberger has been a deputy for a year and is excited about the thought of working with Ali. “I’ve always been an animal lover,” he said.