Banan will begin K9 police school soon

Const. Chad Scheske of the Moose Jaw Police Service has a new partner - Banan, an 18-month old German shepherd.
"Right now I am just starting to bond with Banan," said Scheske.
For the next three weeks, Scheske and the dog are spending a lot of time with each other before their training begins.
"We have 20 weeks to train," said Scheske.
Scheske said both he and the dog are being trained.
"I am learning how to be a handler and Banan is going to cross-train to be a general purpose police dog and a narcotics dog," said Scheske.
Banan will learn criminal apprehension and tracking, searching for missing people and suspects while being cross-trained to find hard and soft narcotics.
Brian Amm, a professional dog trainer from Canine Resources and Consulting, will be brought in to train both the handler and dog.
Scheske is excited to start working with the dog.
"The number one goal of the police is to catch bad guys," said Scheske. "The dogs are just a tool to enhance our ability. I will be on the front lines and that is very appealing to me."
Banan currently stays at a local kennel but next week he will be moving in with Scheske.
"I had to get my yard in order and a new doghouse built," said Scheske. "He will be my partner and will become part of the family."
Scheske did say the dog is not a family pet.
To become a handler Scheske had to complete a police fitness test, go through a psychological test, an interview and a supervisor review.
The dog is expected to work with the police force for five to seven years, said Scheske.
"By the time we are done training he will be two years old," said Scheske. "Police dogs work hard, tackling people, jumping in and out of a car every day. It can really hurt their joints. By the time he is nine years old, he will be ready to retire."
Scheske is heading to Saskatoon next week to start a K9 shooting course and when he returns he will be able to take Banan home.
"I'm looking forward to this experience. So far, everything has gone really well," said Scheske.

Colin Dewar can be reached at 691-1263.