Pubdate: Sun, 18 Nov 2007
Source: Orlando Sentinel (FL)
Copyright: 2007 Orlando Sentinel
Contact:  http://www.orlandosentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/325
Note: Rarely prints out-of-state LTEs.
Author: Robert Sargent
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?237 (Drug Dogs)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/af.htm (Asset Forfeiture)

MINNEOLA'S NEW DRUG-SNIFFING LABRADOR RETRIEVER WON'T BE CALLED 'FATT'

MINNEOLA - A good dog needs a good name.

So when the city recently shelled out $5,500 to acquire  a 
law-enforcement dog straight from the Czech Republic,  officials were 
a little put off by its assigned name:  Fatt.

It didn't seem like a good identification for the  2-year-old yellow 
Labrador retriever, which weighs in  at a fit and trim 60 pounds.

That is why City Council members and the Lake County  Sheriff's 
Office now are looking for help from two  schools to come up with a new name.

Classes at Minneola Charter and Grassy Lake elementary  schools are 
submitting ideas. The most popular  suggestion will be the dog's new 
name, and the class  that is first to submit the winning name will 
get a  pizza party in return.

"The kids are so excited to have this opportunity,"  said Minneola 
Mayor David Yeager, who lobbied for years  to acquire the dog to 
reduce crime. He joined the  soon-to-be-renamed animal during a visit 
to the schools  last week.

The Sheriff's Office, which provides law enforcement in  Minneola, 
recently agreed to purchase the drug-sniffing  dog using money that 
Minneola has acquired from  property seizures of illegal activities. 
Sheriff's Lt.  Greg Link said the canine was born in Eastern Europe, 
where different litters are assigned names starting  with the same letter.

Fatt came from the "F" litter, although Link said he  does not know 
whether that name has any meaning in  another language.

The dog was transported to Texas and taught to sniff  out illegal 
drugs. A Lake deputy sheriff trained with  the dog for about two 
weeks, and the new team started  in Minneola two weeks ago.

Minneola contracts with the Sheriff's Office to provide  law 
enforcement. The agency has 10 drug dogs, including  one used at the 
jail and two at schools.

Yeager said he originally requested that Minneola get  its own dog 
about seven years ago.

Drug searches could be valuable along U.S. Highway 27  -- one of the 
county's busiest roads running through  the middle of Minneola.

Yeager also pushed for Minneola to purchase a  motorcycle to allow a 
deputy to ticket speeders and to  handle other traffic details. The 
city paid $30,000  from drug seizures and related money for the  motorcycle.

Recently city officials talked about one more addition  for their law 
enforcement -- a horse, to patrol  Minneola's parks and trails.
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