August / September Etown 2013

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Story & photos by Trina Walker Only a few police officers can say their partners are so eager to go to work every day that they spin in circles, jump, and whine…and that is without having their morning coffee. Officer Justin Lamle’s K9 partner Thor, is still eager and ready for work despite his recent retirement. Thor has had great longevity as a working dog. The 11-year-old German Shepherd worked for a solid nine years, eight of which were with his partner Lamle at the Enid Police Department. Thor is Lamle’s second working dog. He wasn’t sure for the first few weeks if they were going to get along very well or not. Both stubborn and hardheaded it took some time for the two to figure out just how their partnership would play out. “We are a good match, both of us are hardheaded and I like a dog a bit tougher and harder,” he said. Other officers have asked how he puts up with Thor and his stubborn personality. Lamle says that is one of the things he likes about Thor. Thor and Lamle have been through a lot in the past eight years. While bite work tends to be a favorite part of work for the dogs, it is drug detection and search work where Thor excelled. “He has a great nose,” said Lamle. That great nose has led to the confiscation of thousands of dollars’ worth of drugs including one of the largest crack seizures in Enid during a traffic stop. The total street value of drugs seized as a result of Thor is just over $200,000. That is on top of the $43,000 in cash seized as a result of Thor. Thor has received awards and had his picture taken for the impressive work he’s done but Lamle does not look for attention.

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