2 years later, Conn. dog trained for police still in the pound

Flash the dog came to the pound as a stray. Two years later, she’s still there.

She was about a year old when she was found by animal control officers, “very skinny and a mess,” according to Tom Mitchell, Harwinton’s animal control officer.

But Mitchell soon realized that Flash was different than other dogs. A mix between a Belgian malinois and a German shepherd, Flash immediately showed the right intelligence and temperament to be a police dog.

So Flash was trained. She learned both narcotics detection and suspect apprehension, making her a “dualpurpose canine,” Mitchell said.

There was even a police department interested in taking her on. Once a stray, Flash would be heading to Texas to become a fullfledged police dog.

But plans fell through. The department in Texas went with a different dog, one closer to home, and Flash found herself stuck in the pound.

Mitchell has, as he said on Facebook, made it his “mission to find this amazing dog a home other than the pound,” but it’s a difficult proposition.

She’s protective of her food — called resource guarding — around people with whom she’s not familiar. She likes other dogs but can be overly reactive.

Around her handler, Flash is a perfect angel, “but if she doesn’t know you and you try to do something, she’s going to try and stop you.”

Mitchell considered taking the dog himself — the two have bonded — but he’s living in a “tiny little cottage that I rent” right now, and he’s aware of how much of a handful she is.

“This is a machine of a dog,” he said. “She will trust her handler, but she’s not going to let somebody approach whoever’s holding her on a leash.”

Families with small children wouldn’t be appropriate either: “Flash likes kids but due to her resource issues and reactivity, no children should live with her,” Mitchell said.

Her sheer intelligence makes her a difficult match for a potential owner. Anyone who isn’t trained sufficiently will have trouble controlling her.

“She has the potential to outsmart someone that doesn’t know what they’re doing,” Mitchell said.

The window of opportunity for Flash to be a police dog has passed. She’s already about 3 years old, and that’s just too mature to begin the process with another police department.

She also isn’t right for a service job, like working with a person with a disability. Flash is trainable, but “she’s an alpha,” Mitchell said, “way too dominant to be considered for service work.”

All that being said, Mitchell is confident that the right person is out there for Flash. He imagines a police or military veteran, someone who used to work with dogs

when they were on the job.

“She’s amazing,” he said. “I wish more people would come and meet her.”

What you’ need to adopt Flash

⏩ Experience: Flash needs a person with experience handling a focused working dog.

⏩ No children: Flash loves kids, but a home with children would be a “setup for a failure,” Mitchell said.

⏩ A singleperson home: Flash is great with her handler, but has been trained to guard her person.

⏩ A military or police background: It’s not imperative, but a person who worked with dogs in the service would be best.

⏩ No other dogs :Flash likes other dogs but can be overly reactive.

Tom Mitchell / Contributed photo Found as a stray, Flash was trained to be a police dog. She's been in the pound for two years.

Tom Mitchell / Contributed photo Found as a stray, Flash was trained to be a police dog. She hasbeen in the pound for two years.