Final call for K-9 Tank

BASIN — Nine years ago, the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office began training a 1-year-old English Labrador retriever named Tank. On Aug. 30, 2017, the sheriff’s office, and Tank’s partner Deputy Darold Newman, said goodbye to Tank after a battle with heart ailments.

Sheriff Ken Blackburn said the dog initially was a gift to him from Wilford Brimley. One day Newman was at his house and told Blackburn that the dog would be a good drug dog. Blackburn said, “The rest, as they said, is history.”

Newman said all the training was completed in-house and Tank became a K-9 certified in detecting marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroine and ecstasy.

Newman said what initially drew him to Tank as a possible K-9 drug dog is that he had good hunt, play and toy drive.

Newman and Blackburn said Tank was responsible for detecting a lot of marijuana during his K-9 career.

“Tank just had that drive. He was great with all the kids. We did school searches and class presentations,” Newman said.

Blackburn added, “He’s one of the only dogs I have been extremely comfortable with him being in the schools.”

“He was so good at finding drugs,” Blackburn said, adding that drug dealers didn’t like to see Tank coming because they knew the dog would find the drugs.

Newman said he and Tank would do searches on traffic patrols, but also for Probation and Parole, the Big Horn County Detention Center, deputies who made traffic stops and for the schools. He said they were also the unit called to assist other law enforcement agencies around the Big Horn Basin including in Washakie and Hot Springs counties and in Riverton.

Blackburn said, “He was the only deputy on call constantly,” adding the only officer on call constantly other than himself and Capt. Blaine Jolley.

But, this year, Newman said he began to notice Tank was having breathing problems. He was put on light duty and given medication to help with his heart but eventually the medication stopped working and the decision to euthanize Tank was made.

Blackburn said Newman and Tank truly became partners and while it is a loss for Newman, the loss is felt throughout the entire department.

He said they recently had a dinner to recognize the emergency service personnel and there was a moment of silence for those who were lost in the past year — former Sheriff Dave Mattis, Greybull Fire Chief Paul Murdoch and K-9 Tank.

The loss has been hard for Deputy Newman. “I spent more time with Tank than my wife,” he said. “We were extremely close. It was a pretty bad day [when Tank passed away].”

He added, “He spent every day with me and my family. He worked when I worked and he was off when I was off. We were pretty close. It’s just an amazing bond.” Newman, who has pets at home, said losing his partner Tank is different than losing a pet. Tank was with him all the time.

“He was always wagging his tail. He never had a sick day and he loved people. He knew when I was having a bad day and he’d lean over the console and lick my face,” Newman said.

He said they endured a major crash together while on duty, striking two full-grown cows on the highway. “We’ve been through quite a lot. But I always consider myself lucky,” Newman said, adding that he always had someone to talk to while on patrol, while other deputies do not.

As much as Tank loved his job and as good as was, he was also good at chowing down food, a regular food hound, Newman said.

He said one day he had picked up a “six pack and a pound” at Taco John’s in Lovell but had to make a stop at a deputy’s house before heading to Basin. “I was only gone for four maybe five minutes. I came back and he had eaten six tacos including the paper and a pound of oles,” Newman said. The only thing left was the bag and the carton containers for the oles.

“He was always on a strict diet because he was such a food hound,” he said.

While having said goodbye to Tank, Newman is already in the midst of training his possible replacement. He is working with Rue, a Labrador retriever from a kennel in Lovell.

He said Rue is not yet certified as he has only been training her for three months.

Newman has also trained Winston, a Dutch shepherd, that has a dual role including security for Capt. Deb Cook in the Big Horn County Detention Center.

The sheriff’s office also recently retired Zarco, who retired at the age of 9 due to a torn ACL. Zarco was former deputy Jesse Piper’s K-9 partner, Newman said.