A Great Partner: Stamford Police K9 Pogo Officially Retires

STAMFORD, CT — After seven-and-a-half years and countless calls for service, K9 Pogo of the Stamford Police Department has retired.

Pogo's final day of work was on Thursday. He'll now become a full-time pet at the home of his handler, Sgt. James Comstock, a bomb squad commander with the SPD and a 24.5-year veteran of the department.

Kobe, a 2.5-year-old explosive detection dog who is replacing Pogo, was officially put into service Thursday with officer and bomb technician Dan Kokkoros.

"It's bittersweet," Comstock said. "Pogo has been my partner and comes to work every day I come to work."

A 9.5-year-old Labrador retriever, Pogo is trained exclusively in explosive detection. The SPD Bomb Squad services Fairfield County, from Greenwich up through Bridgeport.

Throughout his career, Pogo has worked at nearly every large crowd event in the area and has even been involved in presidential and secret service security sweeps.

Pogo has responded to numerous calls of unattended bags, suspicious packages and bomb threats. Notably, Comstock said Pogo helped recover a handgun used in a homicide which was hidden in a car in Stamford about seven years ago.

But out of all the calls for service, Comstock said he will remember the interactions the duo had with the public over the years, especially at the Stamford Train Station with commuters, and at Stamford-based Healing Hearts, a fitness and recreation facility for children and young adults with disabilities and special needs.

Pogo and Comstock made routine stops at the facility to perform demonstrations.

"I'm most proud of the relationship Pogo has developed with the community. He's so easily approachable. He's done great things," Comstock said.

Kokkoros put his first dog, Kobe, into service on Thursday. Kokkoros, a big Los Angeles Lakers fan, named Kobe after Kobe Bryant.

"It's definitely exciting. Kobe's a good dog; he's got a strong nose and he's got good independent drive," Kokkoros said. "A lot of the time with him, I don't need to give him a command to work; he starts working on his own. That's good in a young dog."

The SPD gets its dogs from Guiding Eyes for the Blind in Westchester County, N.Y. Officers can apply to get a K9, and dogs are matched with their handlers.

Both officer and dog go through extensive training. Kokkoros and Kobe graduated at the top of their class from an eight-week course at Connecticut State Police Academy in Meriden, CT, on Aug. 26.

The entire process lasts about five months before a dog is certified and capable of working effectively in the field, but Kokkoros and Comstock both said the experience is rewarding.

Kokkoros said he bonded with Kobe right away.

"This dog is my shadow. I go to the kitchen, he follows me. I go outside to the car, he's with me everywhere I go," Kokkoros said.

Officers train their dogs daily. Kobe only eats when he works, and is fed directly from Kokkoros' hand.

"You have to constantly change your training with the dogs because they're smart. They learn where you put things, your body cues, and there's a lot of time that goes into it," Kokkoros said.

The explosive detection dogs and apprehension dogs are another tool in the toolbox for officers in keeping the public safe.

"It's hard not to look at them as a pet. They're super friendly. They're a huge asset for our department to help other officers, whether it's searches, sweeps, but it increases the safety of our community, too," Kokkoros said. "These dogs have amazing capabilities with their noses."

Comstock will now be without a dog at work for the first time in several years.

"It was a great challenge. I enjoyed the ride, but now it's time to turn it over to officer Kokkoros," Comstock said.

The department likes to retire dogs before the age of 10 so they can have a period in life to relax, and Comstock said his 16-year-old son can't wait to spend quality time with Pogo at home.

"He's been a great dog, a huge asset to this department and a great partner," Comstock said.