THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 26, 1996 TAG: 9605260095
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: PAUL SOUTH
LENGTH: 69 lines
We all love dogs. When Old Yeller died, we cried. When Lassie waved goodbye with a paw at the end of each Sunday night television episode, we waved back.
Like Tom T. Hall sings, the things that make life special are old dogs, children and watermelon wine.
Which brings us to Cpl. Mark Grant of the Kill Devil Hills Police Department. Each day, he and his partner climb into the blue and gray police cruiser, Unit 617.
Grant is 27, a seven-year veteran of the force. His partner is 7 years old, on the force five years.
Grant's sidekick is a yellow Labrador retriever. And in a few weeks, Skeeter will take his last on-duty ride with Grant.
Skeeter, the department's one-dog canine unit, is going blind. A rare disease that causes deterioration of the retina is sending Skeeter into early retirement.
``He's 7, but he's got the energy of a 2-year-old,'' Grant says. ``The veterinarian says that if it weren't for his eyes, he could work another five years. Some dogs live to eat. Skeeter lives to work.''
Skeeter is the department's narcotics dog. He is also used as a goodwill ambassador at local schools.
``Skeeter can sniff out drugs at a dope dealer's house, and go from there to the elementary school,'' Kill Devil Hills Lt. Bill Walker says. ``Those kids just love him. He just rolls over and lets the kids rub his belly, and he just licks and licks 'till their faces can't take anymore. I hate to lose that hound. He keeps at it like a young 'un on the ballfield.''
Walker keeps a picture of Skeeter on the wall in his office. In the photo, the dog has his teeth around a standard-issue .38 police revolver.
``He was doing a training exercise out behind the department one day,'' Walker remembers. ``I had a piece of a .38, and I threw it into a thicket. After the exercise was over, I asked the officer who was handling him to turn him loose after the gun. Within a few minutes, he came out of that thicket with the gun. That's when I got the picture.''
Soon, all that will be left of Skeeter's career will be stories. Blindness will see to that.
Skeeter's problems were discovered when Grant took him to a veterinarian because the dog seemed to be having trouble seeing. The diagnosis: Idiopathic retina degeneration, a rare genetic disorder.
``I thought Mark was going to cry when he told us about Skeeter's eyes,'' Walker says. ``We have to retire the dog because there's a danger that when he's off his leash, he'll go out into traffic or hurt himself some other way.''
``I didn't want to tell anyone at first,'' Grant says. ``I didn't know what they might want to do. Some folks immediately want to put a blind dog down.''
Town officials in Kill Devil Hills took a different path. They agreed to let Skeeter work until his eyesight no longer allowed it. Then he would be retired, and live with Grant, his wife Laurie, their 5-month-old daughter, Murphy, and a 3-year-old golden retriever named Bud.
``We had always talked about taking him,'' Grant says. ``He's such a good dog, and really good with kids. He loves to fetch his rubber ball. He'll go until my arm can't throw anymore. Attention is his reward.''
Are there any special challenges in caring for a visually impaired dog? ``We've taken him out of his kennel, and are letting him get used to the yard,'' Grant says. ``He may lose his eyes, but his other senses are great.''
So now Skeeter will spend his days roaming the yard, getting his belly rubbed, and getting an occasional ride with his partner in unit 617, for old time's sake. And when he retires, he'll get a special treat.
``He's never had people food,'' Grant says. ``But I've promised him when he retires, I'm going to get him a steak. He deserves that.''
The town is looking for a new partner pooch for Grant.
``I'm a little worried,'' Grant says of the replacement pup. ``I'm sure he'll be a good dog. But after Skeet, he's got some mighty big paws to fill.'' by CNB