"We were both learning," Robinson said Wednesday. "He was my first dog, and I got Duce as a green dog, he didn't know anything when I got him."
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| Boulder County sheriff's Deputy Eric Robinson and Duce (Photo courtesy Jenifer Harrington) |
But more than eight years and 300 deployments later, Robinson and Duce were a dynamic duo who did everything from going out on routine patrols to protecting presidents, all while living and working together constantly, side by side.
So when Duce had to be put down July 31 after he was diagnosed with lymphoma, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office didn't just lose one of its most accomplished canines, Robinson lost a member of his family.
"He was my best friend; virtually every moment of every day, he was with me," Robinson said.
"Really, for me, the hardest part is the first five seconds when I wake up in the morning... My first instinct is to look down, because he used to sleep right next to me on the floor. But now I don't see him, and it hits me.
"Working through that has been pretty devastating for me."
Because of his skills as a bomb dog, Duce was in high demand around the state. Robinson and Duce served on protection details for past presidents and presidential hopefuls, foreign dignitaries and celebrities, from Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to Jordan's Queen Noor and the Dalai Lama.
They were deployed to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver and called to work the scene of the tragic mass shooting in Aurora last summer.
'You're afraid of nothing'
The Boulder County Sheriff's Office has five dogs in its K-9 unit, including dogs trained in drug detection and suspect apprehension, as well as a bloodhound used for tracking. But Duce was the only dog trained to sniff out explosives.
"There's just not that many bomb dogs around because it's a unique skill set, and it takes a unique dog," Robinson said. "When there was some kind of incident around the country, that was my cue to get ready for agencies to call us. I said if there is any way we can we do it, we are going to help them."
Cmdr. Heidi Prentup said the sheriff's K-9s are just as much a part of the department as their two-legged counterparts.
"They're on the street every day, they ride with their human partners every day and they're always ready to be utilized by our agency or other agencies," she said. "The dogs are a part of our family in the sheriff's office."
While Duce had special training as an explosives dog, he also was a stellar patrol dog, with 29 captures and four (captures involving bites).
But Robinson said the impact Duce had on crime couldn't always be quantified. He described one instance in which he and Duce were in their patrol car responding to a report of a melee on Pearl Street.
"Duce has a ferocious bark, and he was pretty intimidating anyway," Robinson said. "So I just cruised into the area and started driving really slow. When I saw the melee, I just rolled the windows down and fired Duce up. It just stopped. Everybody turned around to see what was going on and that was the end of it.
"They just prevent so much just by being there. There's no stat for that."
Robinson said his rapport and experience with Duce meant he was never afraid to go into any situation knowing Duce was by his side.
"I can only speak for myself, but I'm fairly certain other handlers will say they feel the same way with their dogs: You feel like there is nothing in the world you can't handle together," Robinson said. "You're afraid of nothing."
'That bond never stops growing'
Duce's career came to an end when he was retired in June after developing arthritis in his feet.
"He had the heart, he just didn't have the tools," Robinson said.
Tragically, Duce's retirement was short-lived.
Robinson said once he found out about the diagnosis and realized it was terminal, his thoughts went back to the very first day he started training to be a handler, when his instructor talked about the day his dog eventually would die.
"I thought I understood then why they make you have that conversation -- even though I thought it was a little odd," Robinson said. "But after going through this, now I really understand. When you do this for the first time, you don't get how bonded you and this dog are going to get, and you can't until you do this.
"I know people love their pets, but this takes it to a whole other level."
Robinson is now in the process of training and working with a new dog, 14-month-old Sarik.
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| RIP Duce |
Sarik came with some training and Robinson has the experience of teaching Duce from the ground up.
"It'll take some time for Sarik and I to build our bond," Robinson said. "One of the things I learned from Duce, that bond never stops growing. Up until the moment I took him into that room to be put down, that bond was still growing. Sarik will be the same way."
But Robinson said that while he certainly will work and train with more dogs in the future, Duce always will hold a special place in his heart.
"Duce was my first dog, and we went through a lot together," Robinson said. "Duce was a part of the family."
(Daily Camera - Aug 7 2013)
