On the Fence
Est. Read Time: 9 mins.
The Crash
Officer Disch arrives at a crash site along with several other emergency vehicles.
The scene is an absolute mangled mess, with one noticeable thing missing: The drivers of the now identified stolen sports car are nowhere to be found. These fleeing suspects rear-ended a truck, proceeded to physically assault the victims inside it, fired a handgun, and ultimately, sped off again only to T-bone a family sedan so violently that it rolled over. It’s a miracle that nobody was shot or killed during either of these incidents; however, the suspects on the run still remain armed and dangerous.
Madison, Wisconsin. Ranked the Best City in the USA to Live in 2021 - According to livability.com
With a population of roughly 330,000 residents, Madison, Wisconsin continually ranks in the Top 10 for categories like “Best Small City in America” or “Best City for Quality of Life”. Sadly, violent crime is eroding a peaceful way of existence for the long-time residents of the town. Car jackings with a weapon have become an almost daily occurrence, an immediate by-product of the opioid crisis that continues to ravage the entire nation.
Surveying the wreckage, Ofc. Disch heads to the back of his vehicle and pops open the trunk. Pacing back and forth and panting excitedly is his faithful partner, a sun-kissed short haired Malinois named Bowie. At 6 years of age, Bowie now has a perfect mix of youth and field experience necessary to be a major asset for his department.
As a handler, nothing is more powerful than witnessing your dog entering their prime. If learning to read your dog is a language, learning to trust them unequivocally is an artform. It's common for a dog to indicate something that doesn’t make sense to you at the time; your job is to piece together the information they provide and fill in the blanks that can’t be explained. This is what makes an excellent team.
Ofc. Disch hooks his tracking line to the silent v-ring on the back of Bowie’s custom-fit K9 Storm Patrol Swat Vest and the two are now ready to work. Bowie lives and breathes in his PSV for the entire shift. At the beginning of 2022, the Madison Police Department partnered with Keeping K-9s in Kevlar, a non-profit located in Washington State, to help outfit the entire Madison Police K9 Unit with K9 Storm Vests. Ofc. Disch was instrumental in getting this accomplished, recognizing the need to be able to quickly deploy Bowie and be protected for whatever they may encounter. Bowie puts on his PSV before he hops in the truck and only takes it off once he’s safely at home.
Bowie has been on fire as of late, too. Every shift it seems like he’s being tasked with hunting down a violent suspect. Together, Ofc. Disch and Bowie keep finding themselves in obscure locations across the county. Their funniest capture? Bowie recently tracked a fleeing suspect almost half a mile, and helped locate him hiding in a garbage can. He’s quite literally been taking out the trash ever since.
Bowie hits the ground and begins to circle the perimeter of the cordoned off crash site as paramedics and other on-scene officers hustle about.
Bowie’s nose is working, trying to locate the scent of the fleeing suspects until finally...
His head snaps, and he begins to pull. Hard. Even the most novice handler would be able to tell that Bowie has successfully hooked a track.
In March 2022, Keeping K-9s in Kevlar generously donated custom-fit K9 Storm Patrol Swat Vests for the entire Madison Police K9 Unit. Pictured are K9s Allied, Bowie, Charlie, Domo, Patton, and Roko.
Ofc. Disch lets out more line and takes off running behind Bowie. As he starts to leave the crash site, he hears a voice yelling from behind him. He turns around to see one of his fellow street cops chasing the pair down.
“I’m coming with you", the street cop says, “You lead I’ll follow.”
Ofc. Disch nods in approval and the 3 take off in perfect linear formation with Bowie out front, followed by Ofc. Disch, and now, backup. It’s just past midday and the temperature has now risen above 90°f (32°c).
This is going to be a scorcher, Ofc. Disch thinks.
The Track
Scenes from the track. Rural environments are treacherous because of low visibility. Branches, thorns, or hidden obstacles can cut or impale your dog without warning and suspects have coverage to plan an ambush.
Bowie has been running for the last 0.4 miles with no signs of slowing down, even in the extreme heat. Thick bramble and brush rip at Ofc. Disch's uniform as they move through the heavily wooded area. Bowie’s Patrol Swat Vest deflects the low thorns and thistles from catching his skin. He continues to press forward when suddenly Ofc. Disch hears a loud scream coming from the left of the group.
Both Ofc. Disch and the 2nd officer immediately scan into the distance, but Bowie refuses to change direction. With every churn of his paws, he appears to be digging deeper and more determined into the soft soil beneath, leading them further away from the source of the noise.
Ofc. Disch reels Bowie in, and gets ready to recast him away from the track he’s currently on. Bowie picks his head up and circles. Around he goes like the minute hand on a grandfather clock.
3 o’clock. 6 o’clock. 9 o’clock.
Directly perpendicular to the original route, Bowie hooks a new track in the direction of the noise. They take off running towards it, when suddenly, they encounter a 4-foot-high cattle fence, barely visible in the dense brush.
The fence is a series of thin, sharp, horizontal wires with twisted barbs along the entire length of each strand. You can almost feel your skin being sliced open by the rusted pointed razors. Modest yet treacherous, these fences have been a mainstay in the farming industry for years.
Without skipping a beat, Ofc. Disch grabs the Special Ops. Handle on the back of Bowie’s PSV and hoists him over the obstacle. His underbelly, while only a sliver away from making contact with the sharp barbs, clears the fence without issue. Ofc. Disch and his backup take their time and carefully cross over the wires themselves to avoid injury.
After clearing the fence, they reach the opening of a large soybean field and Ofc. Disch finally makes visual contact on the suspects, roughly a few hundred yards away.
Ofc. Disch gives the appropriate call outs for the suspects to stop running, but predictably, nobody listens.
Bowie is released. His acceleration leaves a trail of crushed dirt and green leaves in his wake as he plows through the field, gaining ground rapidly on the suspects.
The Cattle Fence. Can you spot where it is?
Whether a calculated decision, or one made simply out of fear, the two perpetrators split up. The faster one continues to run into the open soybean field, and the slower one doubles back toward the treeline. Bowie locks on to the slower suspect first and loops into the treeline also. Ofc. Disch follows in pursuit of Bowie, while the backup officer peels toward the other suspect in the soybean field.
Ofc. Disch knows that the slower suspect is going to be cornered. The cattle fence that they just crossed earlier was right near the edge of the treeline. Treacherous when taking your time, attempting to navigate this obstacle in a hurry would almost guarantee entrapment in the razor wire like a fly caught in a spider web.
His theory is correct.
Moments later, he hears a yell pierce through the air and knows that Bowie must have made contact. He sprints the rest of the distance and locates Bowie, with a firm grip on the suspect’s thigh. The suspect thrashes in pain as Bowie prevents a getaway, but something doesn’t look right.
How did they get on the other side of the fence?
Ofc. Disch slowly and carefully crosses over the fence and arrests the now blood-soaked suspect. It’s clear from the visible injuries that the deadly sharp barbs have sliced deep lacerations in the suspects hands and legs as they attempted to rapidly cross the fence. A stolen purse lays strewn to the side, the contents are partially spilled out and a loaded black handgun is visible against the glimmer of the trees above.
But what about Bowie?
The only physical explanation was that he either launched over or jumped through the wires of the fence to complete the take down.
At the same time that the suspect is cuffed, Ofc. Disch hears on the radio that his partner has been able to apprehend the other suspect in the soybean field. Looks like those extra PT sessions are paying off bigtime for everyone.
The Aftermath
After the long walk back, both suspects are now taken into custody, and Ofc. Disch sits in his cruiser replaying the chase in his mind. Even though this apprehension was a complete success for Bowie, he can’t help but continue to perseverate on two things.
This photo demonstrates the difference between Bowie’s brand new PSV and his PSV after the incident. A clear “X” is visible on his chest where impact with the razor wire took place.
First, where was Bowie heading on the original track? He was following something, this much, he was sure. The mix of fear pheromones and trampled vegetation would have made a perfect scent picture. Bowie’s body language was yelling, undeniably, for Ofc. Disch to follow him.
And second, how was Bowie uninjured? He couldn’t have possibly cleared the fence without touching anything, could he?
Ofc. Disch goes to the back of the truck and inspects Bowie from top to bottom one more time. He runs his hand over his face and over the top and sides of his Patrol Swat Vest. There is nothing out of the ordinary and no signs of injury.
Then it all clicks.
Ofc. Disch gazes down from Bowies eyes, toward his chest. There, almost mockingly, he sees it.
Bowie’s PSV has a clear gash in the exact shape of the twisted barbs from the fence. A perfect “X” marks the spot where impact took place.
One of the most overlooked areas for protecting your dog is the underbelly. This is the first area that is exposed to danger when your dog runs, jumps, or apprehends. Underbelly impalement protection is the only thing that will prevent serious injury from environmental disaster. Without his Patrol Swat Vest protecting the soft tissue of his chest and belly, Bowie would have been figuratively unzippered from top to bottom using his own momentum.
Bowie enjoys a well deserved cheeseburger after the arrests**.
Ironically, Bowie was actually featured on our Instagram Page to highlight this exact feature. In a video we posted in March, just days after Bowie received his PSV, you can see him standing proudly on his hind legs, as the words “Underbelly. Impalement. Protection.” echo over the backdrop. It gives me chills thinking that only 4 months later, this feature would help save his life.
The crack of the radio brings Ofc. Disch back to earth. There is a man without a shirt, covered in dirt and blood, acting erratically at a nearby quarry. Ofc. Disch looks up the address and can’t help but laugh. The man has been located in the precise direction that Bowie was travelling on the initial track. It’s common for suspects to split up and scatter to try to avoid capture; the crossroads in the woods was clearly one of those times.
With that in mind, Ofc. Disch takes a brief glance in the mirror at his partner, lights up the cherries, and speeds off down the road. Bowie begins to turn excitedly in the back once again, ready to continue to work.
Ready to Storm Through Anything™.
**All suspects had weapons, cash, and narcotics totaling a street value of roughly $98,000 usd. The drug of choice? Fentanyl. Over 1.45 lbs of it. It’s estimated that a mere 2.2 lbs. can kill 500,000 people. At 1.45 lbs. these suspects had the potential to eliminate the entire 330,000-person population of Madison.