Movie Moment
Est. Read Time: 5 mins.
The Scene
*CRACK*
The sound of a shockwave splits the air in half as bullets fly left and right past a dark muzzled Malinois named Amigo. He jumps through a ring of fire and over a moat, as alligators snap hungerly at his heels, charging straight into the fray of battle.
Explosions continue to persist all around him as he makes his way to the damsel tied up on set of rusted train tracks. The grey smoke from the train engine mixes with the black soot scattered all around the atmosphere.
With one forceful bite, Amigo severs the cords in half and pushes the maiden off the tracks with his front paws. They both feel the energy pulse through their bones as the locomotive barrels by, the horn blaring at it’s maximum.
Amigo turns back to the evil terrorist, laughing maniacally from his high ground position, his thumb hovers over a push button ready to destroy the world.
Continuing to take fire from all angles, Amigo sprints up the hill.
His Patrol Swat Vest is hit. Once, twice, thrice…but he keeps moving. *THWACK* a throwing knife plants itself right in the side of his armor, but he doesn’t stop there. He reaches his target and bites into the man’s trigger arm, rendering him unable to push the button. A struggle ensues, the two tumble down the hill and through a plate glass door. With broken shards everywhere, they fight through the back door that leads to the edge of a perilous cliff.
Back and forth, they punch and kick and bite, until finally the terrorist pulls out a loaded silver wheel handgun. Amigo grabs hold of the man’s shoulder and the gun goes sprawling, just out of reach. In unison, they crawl toward it, but in a last-ditch effort, the terrorist grasps the gun first. Standing up, he cocks it back and aims it directly at Amigo’s head.
Amigo and the terrorist lock eyes.
Then the gun goes off.
The terrorist’s expression turns from a twisted smile to one of disbelief. He puts his hand to his heart, as thick blood oozes calmly between his fingers and down the front of his body.
“Not in my county”, Ofc. Chandler says.
The terrorist falls off the cliff into the swirling ocean below. Never to be seen or heard from again.
I spoke with Ofc. Chandler after the incident, and in is own words, this is what he had to say.
The Email
Hi Jess,
I hope you all are well up north. I had a quick story I wanted to share from training last night. While this is not a story about a life being saved or a heroic effort I am grateful to have this K9 Storm Vest for Amigo.
Last night, Amigo and I were finishing up some tracking training. This particular track took us to an area where a handful of vehicles were parked all very close together pending an auction. We try and train like we work and a majority of this track was done in the dark. As Amigo arrived to the parked vehicles he started to maneuver and navigate through the lot of cars. As he moved around a large tanker vehicle I heard a loud thud. I shined my light to the area and discovered that Amigo had run into the sharp corner of a large steel bumper. When I went to check him I discovered he had run into the corner of the bumper with his front left shoulder. The only thing that prevented a serious injury, a visit to the emergency vet and time off work was his K9 Storm Vest. On his vest I observed a mark from the bumper and a cut on the outer fabric.
Again, while this is not some heroic story, it goes to show you that wearing this vest keeps these dogs safe in a variety of situations, saves money and keeps these amazing pups on the street working.
I attached some pics for you to see. Thanks as always.
Respectfully and thankfully,
Ofc. Chandler
Operations Bureau / K-9 Unit
Frisco Police Department
Photos of Amigo after the incident.
The Truck Bumper that Amigo hit.
The slice into Amigo’s Patrol Swat Vest.
The Reality
K9 Amigo and his favorite reward.
When you think of your own working dog being saved from injury or death, what version of Amigo’s story do you subconsciously play in your mind?
It’s fair to say that most envision the Hollywood script, and for good reason. We train our dogs, day in and day out, to apprehend and subdue non-compliant suspects, who are often armed with dangerous weapons.
Vaulting into a sharp truck bumper? It’s not something that could possibly be planned for, and yet, random and unpredictable incidents like this are just as deadly.
While the real Amigo scenario maybe isn’t built for the big screen, it is no less epic in our minds here at K9 Storm. For our goal is to help you and your dog Storm Through Anything™ and come home safely.
When it happens in a way that isn’t blatantly obvious, there is no better twist for us than that.
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K9 Amigo’s Patrol Swat Vest was provided by the amazing non-profit Spike’s K9 Fund. We are grateful for the trust they continue to put in us to help keep the dogs and departments that they support safe in the field.