Officers mourn loss of first police dog

Russellville Police Lt. Jeff Michael and former city police drug dog, Player, who he worked with for more than a decade.

Anyone that’s ever had a pet can tell you that an animal can become just like family – a loyal, devoted best friend that will love unconditionally and never leave you when times get hard.
Lt. Jeff Michael has experienced that love and devotion firsthand from the Russellville Police Department’s long-time drug dog, Player, who passed away this weekend after 11 years of service in the community.
Michael said Player’s health has been slowly going downhill for the past few months and he hasn’t been able to work as much, but Saturday, he seemed like he was ready to go.
“We were going through our normal routine and I had let him out of the house and into the yard while I was logging onto my computer,” Michael said. “I opened the car door to let him in but he had come and laid down next to the door. I noticed that his breathing was very shallow and something just wasn’t right so I put him in the car to take him to the vet.”
Michael said before he could make it to the vet’s office, Player passed away of what they assumed was heart failure.
“That dog wasn’t a quitter,” Michael said. “He earned his keep and he died doing what he loved because he had every intention of going to work with me that day.”
Michael said he and his wife, Linda, have both felt like they lost a child.
“There is just a bond you build up with those animals that you just can’t explain unless you’ve been there,” Michael said. “We went through a lot together over the years and, even though you know this day is going to come, this has just almost killed me and Linda.”
Michael has worked with Player, a black Labrador Retriever, since the dog was just eight months old. He was purchased in January of 2001 and Michael said Player was actually going through field trials in Wisconsin to become a duck dog when his trainers discovered he had the ability to be a drug dog.
“Russellville found out about him and we were wanting a Labrador because they’re affectionate and good with kids and we’d be using him to go into the schools,” Michael said. “After we got him here, we went to the canine academy in January 2001 and graduated in March.
“The instructor said Player was an exceptional dog to be able to do that well at his age,” Michael said. “Dogs are normally a year or two older when they start drug training but he did an exceptional job.”
Michael said Player became an integral part of the police force and proved how important he was time after time over the years.
“He helped us with a case involving the Drug Enforcement Agency where we discovered a stash of marijuana with a street value of $1 million in a tractor trailers several years ago,” Michael said. “We also helped Franklin County on a case where Player hit on a stash in a safe where the drugs were locked up. That stash ended up having a street value of $37,000.”
Michael said he would get calls from law enforcement agencies all over the area requesting his and Player’s help on a case and that alone showed the quality of dog Player was.
“I have loved every aspect of being a canine handler and it’s something I hope to be able to continue to do in the future,” Michael said. “Some guys enjoy patrolling, some love kicking in doors or chasing down the bad guys, but this was the area of law enforcement that I loved and that I felt like I excelled in. When Player would do his job, it was a great source of pride for me because I felt like I had done my job as well.
“To me, being a canine handler has been the most rewarding area of law enforcement. Player was the only person on the force I know who never complained about going to work and never called in sick. He got up every morning and looked forward to going to work and it made me look forward to it, too. I’m going to miss him so much.”
Russellville Police Chief Chris Hargett said Player would be missed by everyone at the police department.
“Player was a great asset to the department and he will be hard to replace,” Hargett said. “He will truly be missed.”
Hargett said they hoped to be able to place a small memorial in front of the police department in Player’s memory.
“Even though Player was a canine, he played a vital role here and his service to this community was important.”