The three deputies of the Augusta County Sheriff’s K-9 unit gave a presentation at C.F. Richards Christian School (Staunton, Va.) this month as part of the
Deputies Chris Pultz, Jonathan Wells and Kenny Randozza signing autographs for student Runako Walsh.
Kindergarten through 4th grades’ Focus On Our Community. Deputies Pultz, Randozza and Wells are the handlers of dogs that work for the county and spent an hour with the students describing their jobs, training of the dogs and the different types of cases they have worked on.
The deputies spend many hours training and building relationships with their dogs so they can work as an effective team. Deputy Pultz stated that the dog and handler become very close. The handlers and dogs are on call at all times, responsive to the needs of the community. The handlers explained the responsibilities of the police service dogs. The dogs’ skills include: tracking missing people and suspects, searching for narcotics and other articles, chasing and apprehending suspects and protecting their handlers.
Deputy Randozza and his dog Joe
“The students enjoyed watching the dogs respond to their handlers’ commands,” said Jennifer Hackley, principal. “One of the dogs demonstrated how they track for drugs by finding a substance hidden in a soda can. We learned that the blood hound once went tracking for 36 hours to solve a case, the hound and his handler Deputy Wells went on over 70 cases last year. The handlers patiently answered the many questions of the students while sharing their dogs with us. We are very grateful for the visit of the deputies and for the service the handlers and their dogs provide our community.”
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Christ-centered education and academic excellence in a diverse, safe, and loving environment are the cornerstones of C.F. Richards Christian School. We are a Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade school. We want every learner to excel in faith, learning, and service; this is done by blending biblical truth and academic achievement to honor God and bless others. At C.F. Richards Christian School, we have been educating students for over 60 years in Staunton and are part of the world-wide Seventh-day Adventist school network. People interested in learning more about C.F. Richards Christian School may contact Jennifer Hackley at jhackley@cfrichards.org.
