11 years after our first encounter, police K9 Rocky gives me his final bite
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IDAHO FALLS — My heart is racing, my palms are sweaty and I’m shaking a little.
It’s a crisp fall morning in Idaho Falls, and I’m at Lincoln Park where, in just a few minutes, I’ve agreed to be attacked by a dog.
I was hesitant to even show up because it’s not the first time I’ve come face to face with this Belgium Malinois with sharp teeth, a terrifying growl and an incredibly strong jaw that’s nearly impossible to pry off something.
But here we are, and the circumstances are familiar.
Almost 11 years ago, Rocky, the dog, and I met in this same park where he showed off his apprehension skills as a new Idaho Falls Police K9 officer.
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Now, over a decade later, Rocky is retiring after helping his partner, Sgt. Gabe Klepich, on countless cases.
“We’ve done over 2,000 stops … maybe more like 3,000 times we’ve been out of the car,” Klepich explains.
Klepich helped train Rocky, and they’ve been side by side through every winter, spring, summer and fall. They’ve worked together to get drugs off the street and wanted suspects in custody.
“Most of the time, most people give up before the dog ever has to be deployed,” Klepich says. “I had a time when a suspect was hiding in a garage and he heard us talking outside the door. We said, ‘We’re sending the dog in,’ and he heard us saying that and … he gave up before we even issued a warning.”
Klepich admits Rocky has slowed down a bit over the years, and he has mixed emotions about the K9’s retirement.
“He’s been a pretty good partner. I talk to him all the time when I’m in the car. It’s my excuse for talking to myself because he doesn’t know what I’m saying,” Klepich says with a smile.
But before he calls his career quits, there’s one more thing Klepich wants Rocky to do. For his final bite, it will be me.
“You were here at the beginning and now today he’s retiring,” Klepich says. “We’ll get you in a bite suit and let you go out in the field, and he’ll come apprehend you.”
In the field, I go with a lot of adrenaline and a bite suit that weighs around 40 pounds.
Klepich tells me to relax and reminds me that when Rocky bites down, I need to keep moving or he could release and bite elsewhere — like my ear or head. Nice thought.
The officer gets Rocky out of the car and, for the last time, gives him the command to pursue the suspect.
Within seconds, the dog is locked in on my left arm – jaw clinched, teeth firmly in place and a growl that would scare the harshest of bad guys.
Klepich gives the command for Rocky to release, and he sits on the ground, like a good boy. The officer tells me to slowly walk away and he comes over to make sure I’m OK.
“The dog did all right for a 12-year-old dog on the brink of retirement with arthritis. He actually still moves OK,” Klepich says. “You did great – especially for someone who’s only been in a bite suit twice now.”
A retirement party was held for Rocky on Thursday, and Klepich plans to keep his dog active even though he’s no longer on the force. He’ll take him home and while the badge may be coming off, the bond between these two isn’t going anywhere.
Watch Rocky attack Nate Eaton in the video player above. C’mon – you know you want to.
