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But the village didn’t have the money to cover the cost of the dog or the training, Black said, so officers formed an organization that could accept donations in the fall. In January, Max made the trip to Ohio from Germany.
“Max and I were trained together from start to finish,” Black said. “Which allowed us to learn together, make mistakes together and learn to fix those mistakes together.”
Several local businesses and residents gave money for Max, he said. The village also received a $2,500 grant from the Ohio Law Enforcement K-9 Association.
“They need to be thanked as well for all their support and help because a lot of our donations came from individual citizens,” he said. “A lot more than we expected.”
Drug traffickers tend to use the main roads that cut through Mechanicsburg — Ohio 4 and Ohio 29 — on the way to cities like Dayton and Columbus to avoid state troopers, Black said.
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“They’re tired of the problems that are going on,” he said. “They’re tired of seeing the drugs here in their community.”
Max is trained to find marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. He can also track missing people or suspects.
“Just having him on scene is a deterrent,” he said.
Crystal Axline has lived in the Champaign County village for 10 years. She’s confident Max will help officers stop traffickers.
“That’s just an extra precaution we have for our safety,” Axline said.
She’s not surprised neighbors played a big role in purchasing Max.
“Everybody knows everybody and looks out for everybody else,” she said.
Max can also break the ice in tense situations.
“Everyone likes dogs,” Black said.
The department plans to take Max to local schools to teach the dangers of drug use.
“Max is more than just drugs,” he said. “Max is somebody that can pull the community together under one cause.”
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