UPDATE
We posted our original story on the evening of May 3rd, and on May 4th we were given a lead which we followed up on. Today on May 6th we are sharing our findings.
Tuukka has been located for sale by a breeder in Lewisburg, West Virginia. He is being sold by Logan Haus Kennels as the Facebook post below shows.
We reached out to the breeder with some simple questions. We asked about his temperament, history, how he would do with dogs or children, and we guessed that he was a police dog and asked why he’s not actively working.
This was their response:
From the message, it sounds like Logan Haus Kennels, may have been the original importer and trainer, and the original source of Tuukka to Ashland. The public records you will see in our original article below, suggest, he has killed two dogs to date. If you want a narcotics and tracking dog that has a penchant for killing – he’s only $4000.
Original posting is still accurate based on public records, Tuukka may have been transferred from a VA breeder to the WV breeder, or the public records may have contained incorrect data. Either way, read the rest of the story below:
Norman Miller of the Metrowest Daily News was unable to locate 3-year old German short-haired pointer ‘Tuukka’ for his February 25, 2022 story on Ashland’s ‘friendly search’ dog. A ‘friendly search’ dog, is one not used to track criminal suspects, and instead is used to help search for at-risk or missing persons. Tuukka was also an expert at sniffing out narcotics.
On December 2, 2021, Tuukka attacked ‘Perry’ a small Yorkie Poo which whom he lived with at Officer Rodkey’s home, which was owned by a non-related resident. The Yorkie Poo suffered a fatal injury. Tuukka lived in a secured area of the home, escaped and attacked the small dog.
DID YOU KNOW:
The addition of Tuukka was announced by Ashland’s Acting Chief of Police was announced on December 1, 2021. Tuukka murdered Yorkie Poo Perry on December 2, 2021.
On March 7th, the Ashland police after receiving many inquiries, went public with a statement on Facebook. In this statement we learn that ‘Perry’ wasn’t Tuukka’s first victim.
We have recently received several inquiries from community members regarding the December incident involving K9 Tuukka. Although, this incident was reported on by the local media at the time, we offer the following information and clarification in the spirit of transparency.
On December 1, 2021, an unfortunate incident involving K9 Tuukka and another dog occurred at the residence of Tuukka’s handler, resulting in the death of the other dog. The K9 team was off duty at the time of the incident.
K9 Tuukka, a 4 year old German shorthaired pointer, was bred as a hunting dog and, as such, had an affinity for small animals. This “prey drive” is precisely what makes this breed such effective search/tracking dogs. He was acquired from another agency to perform as a tracking and narcotics detection K9 with the Ashland Police Department.
We were made aware of a similar incident during his tenure with the other agency involving Tuukka and another dog. From everything we learned of that incident, it was apparent that handler inattention was the cause. Members of the APD Command Staff vetted this dog and obtained the opinions of his trainer and dog experts in the field of Police working dogs prior to acquiring him. K9 Tuukka was known to have several successful missing person finds and lifesaving awards and we were hoping to make him a valuable resource to our community.
Upon acquiring Tuukka, he and his handler completed an 8-week long training course, were evaluated and became certified as a K9 team and placed into service in November. The team had a successful missing person find in a neighboring community immediately after being placed into service. As a result of the December off-duty incident, K9 Tuukka was immediately removed from service and will remain out of service permanently. The officer involved has been removed from his position as a K9 Handler. Tuukka is currently in the care and custody of the Ashland Police Department while we work to humanely rehome him in an environment that would be more conducive and suitable to his natural instincts and drive. To clarify, he will NOT be euthanized.
Out of respect for the owner of the other dog and to allow them to grieve properly for their beloved pet and family member, we will not be providing any further comment on this regrettable incident. Our thoughts and concerns remain with the owner of the other dog.
-Acting Chief Richard Briggs
Via a FOIA request to the town of Ashland we uncovered the truth about Tuukka.
The human victim of the crime demanded a $4500 payment, a cost to replace the dog lost, and to pay for therapy. The victim signed a global release indemnifying the town of Ashland from future legal action. Tuukka was to be sent to a hunting dog breeder in Virginia by early April.
Officer Rodkey has been disciplined and will never be a K9 handler again.
The town of Upton, where the incident occured sent officer Rodkey a $75 ‘vicious dog’ citation through it’s animal control department three months after more than three months of inaction. A complaint was also filed for ‘cruelty to animals’ which the town is reviewing through it’s legal department.
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BEFORE YOU GO…
…PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE
Former City Councilor Margareth Shepard is running to be the 6th Middlesex District Massachusetts State Rep – representing all of South Framingham. There will be an election on September 6th to whittle down a field of three candidates to just one.
FU ASKS THAT YOU DO NOT VOTE FOR HER.
She is being promoted by people who DO NOT live in the district that she would represent. Supporters include UNPOPULAR people like Mike Hugo, Beth Greeley, Cesar Stewart-Morales, Adam Steiner, Yvonne Spicer, Norma Schulman, Brian Sullivan… and the list goes on.
START PLANNING YOUR VOTE NOW
HELP SOUTH SIDE BY ELIMINATING SHEPARD FROM THE RACE