Palm Beach County shelter dog with endless energy lands new career in police K-9 work

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A dog that arrived at Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control spinning in circles in his kennel is now headed toward a future in police work. The dog, named Bayblade, caught attention for the very energy that made him stand out at the shelter. "He had a tendency to spin, which is typically something that dogs will do when they are really backed up with energy and they need something to do," Arielle Weinberger said. Weinberger is a PR specialist with Palm Beach County Animal Care & Control. That energy caught the attention of animal rescue advocate Jim Bradley. "I work with all sorts of rescues. Malinois, Dutch Shepherd Rescue, so a lot of local rescues. Oftentimes they might have a more challenging dog," Bradley said. He put Bayblade to the test, looking at his energy, focus and drive to work. "A working dog they are genetically just a complete different dog. Their energy, their drive, their tenacity, their desire to bite and grip into whole things," Bradley said. He recognized those traits could make Bayblade ideal for police work. So Bradley contacted a canine organization in Ohio, and Bayblade was accepted. "They'll be doing some bite work because he'll be a dual purpose canine that he can do apprehensions and also find find drugs or weapons," Bradley said. Now, Bayblade is getting a chance to put all that energy to work. "That cute little puppy with the pointy ears that in 6 months you've got a working dog who needs to work, who needs to move, who needs to do his what he was bred to do. And so I'm happy that Bayblade is going to get that chance," Bradley said. From providing video of the dog in the kennel to the flight to Ohio, several people were instrumental in getting Bayblade — who is now called Blade — to his destination. Those involved included Fabienne with the Canine Enrichment Team, Alpha Pack K9 training, plane owners Harrison Gevirtz and Adam Young, and Wendy Cristantiello.