Original Article

Vader Police Chief Sean Ulich has some four-legged backup on patrol these days: Blitz the city's new police dog.
The 3-year-old German Shepherd comes from Slovakia and was purchased for $9,200, with the cost covered by a federal Department of Commerce grant and donations. No city money was used, Ulich said.

Blitz, who was on display at the town's May Day Parade Saturday, is "primarily a locating tool," who can track people and search buildings, Ulich said. Blitz also protects his handler and will be trained to detect narcotics next year, Ulich said.

The dog lives with Ulich and accompanies him on patrol. Ulich is the small Lewis County town's only paid police officer, so Blitz also serves "as my backup," Ulich said. The town has volunteer reserve officers who are called out when needed.

Ulich and Blitz underwent 400 hours of training through the Pierce County Sheriff's Office before hitting the streets in March.
The city received $4,000 in private donations and pledges to buy a year's worth of dog food and a bulletproof vest for Blitz, Ulich said. The federal grant paid for the rest.

Donations are being accepted to pay for the narcotics training. Ulich said he didn't have an exact cost, but said the training would cost "thousands of dollars." Donations can be sent to the Vader City Hall.

As for why the small town needs a K-9 officer, Ulich said, "We've got narcotics problems just like everyone else."
The dog also is available to help law enforcement officers in Cowlitz and Lewis counties, Ulich said.

Blitz has only been on the job since March, but he's already bagged his first bad guy.

During a recent domestic violence call, a man ran from Ulich. Blitz was deployed, and the threat of the police dog coming after him convinced the man to surrender, Ulich said.

"It was a successful capture. He gave up, no one was hurt and he went to jail," Ulich said.