Rescue dog from Humane Fort Wayne graduates from K9 program

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Fort Wayne’s NBC) - A rescue dog from Humane Fort Wayne graduated from K9 school and is now a working police dog for the Allen County Sheriff’s Department.

Lotus is a 15-month-old Belgian Malinois with lots of energy. She came to Humane Fort Wayne from an overcrowded shelter in Louisiana.

“I realized that she might be a little much for the everyday dog owner so we were leaning towards finding her a working position,” said Stephanie Tippmann, shelter manager for Humane Fort Wayne.

Tippmann called up the sheriff’s department to have Lotus evaluated and sure enough, she was the perfect fit.

Officer Steve Stuckey noticed Lotus was incredibly ball-driven and friendly, two qualities that make a dog successful in the K9 training program.

“I think it’s great that we offered a dog a second chance. Lotus, with as high drive and high energy as she was, if she went to someone’s home that wasn’t expecting that kind of animal, she may have very well ended back at the shelter and we gave her that fresh start,” said Stuckey.

The folks at Humane Fort Wayne are proud to share her story.

" It’s really exciting for us to show the community that dogs that end up in shelters, there’s not something missing or a problem for them, they just need to find that right fit,” said Tippmann.

Lotus and her K9 handler, School Resource Officer John Colvin, are based at Maple Creek Middle School.

Officer Colvin says Lotus is trained to detect firearms, ammunition and narcotics. She can also help track people down by scent if necessary.

But most of her day is spent socializing with students.

“It’s a lot easier for a student that doesn’t know me to come up and say hi to me, more to say hi to Lotus than anything else but just the ability to make a connection with the students is big,” said Colvin.

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