The Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office has a new member in the K-9 division – Chip, the second K-9 dog for the county.
Chip and his K-9 handler, Dale Kolatski, just graduated K-9 school at the end of May. They both received certification in tracking, narcotics detection, apprehension, and handler protection after taking a 160-hour K-9 training course through Northern Michigan K-9 in Clare.
In addition to his police duties, Kolatski said Chip will also help with community engagement, visiting various events in the community including schools.
“He’s an 18-month-old Belgian Malinois. He is full of energy all the time. He is go, go. He came, he was bred from Colombia. He did some training in Mexico. He is super intelligent. He’s always learning, and I’m trying to keep up with him. But, yeah, I think him and I are going to have a lot of success together,” said Kolatski.
Kolatski said he’s already had some success on the job, helping assist Michigan State Police with a traffic stop and getting some drugs off the street.