Top dogs train for the shield

A row of seven German shepherds lie on the gravel in the shadow of an unhitched semitrailer. Some wag their tails slowly over the ground, stirring up small puffs of dust. Others swivel their ears in all directions, catching sounds that carry on the wind. To the distant observer, they would appear nothing more than a curiosity: a small pack of dogs dodging the sun in the shade of a forgotten trailer.

From the other side of the trailer, commands suddenly ring out, and the dogs snap to attention. Each dog recognizes the voice of its handler and immediately executes his commands. On cue, each dog inches under the trailer, dropping onto its belly when ordered to, before reuniting with its human counterpart.

This day, these seven dogs – and their handlers – will complete their eight-week basic training through Tops Police K9 Training Program in Grayslake. In a couple of days, they officially will be police dogs.

While the basics – “sit,” “stay,” “come” – may seem mundane, trainer Kasia Szkotnicka said Tops places heavy importance on these fundamental training commands.

“It’s just basic obedience. Have the dog pay attention to what you’re doing while having other things around them happen,” she said. “So [Krista Rothacker] will ask one or two guys to have their dogs do something, but the other dogs need to pay attention to their handlers and stay in the position they’re in. So it teaches them to learn the voices of all the guys … and recognize them.”

Rothacker is the obedience specialist at Tops. She also is the daughter of owners Alex and Paula Rothacker. She has been training dogs “pretty much my whole life.” After college, she returned to the family business to continue her passion.

“It’s kind of where my heart’s always been,” she said.

Program Director Paul Pomazal observes the class as they move from the trailer to the next obstacle. Beside him, his 8-year-old German shepherd Griff sits comfortably back on his haunches. A leash is attached to his collar, but the leash is looped casually over Pomazal’s shoulder. Pomazal has zero reason to believe Griff would wander away from him.

Pomazal first began working with Tops 22 years ago when he went through his training course with his first police dog when he was a police officer for Highland Park. After 30 years on the force, Pomazal retired, but he continued his work with Tops and its dogs.

When the dogs first arrive at Tops, he said, they go through an extensive 12-week “pre-training” course during which Tops trainers work with the dogs to familiarize the animals with their temporary new home and teach them the basic commands their permanent handlers will be using. This pre-training session also allows the trainers to fully assess the dogs’ personalities, strengths and weaknesses, enabling Alex Rothacker to pair each animal with the handler and department that would be the best match for all parties involved.

“We don’t let [the handlers] select their dogs,” he said. “They don’t get the pretty one or they don’t get the big one. They get the dog that Alex thinks will work best for them and their department. It could happen that we swap dogs at some point during the class, [but] it’ll usually be in the first weeks. We’re usually very quick about it in the beginning.”

“It’s like a marriage,” he added. “We don’t like divorces.”

When Rothacker first opened Tops in 1978, he primarily trained personal protection dogs, not police dogs. The K9 Training Program was added shortly after he opened his doors, and the first departments to receive Tops police dogs were in Lake County and Rosemont. The average duration of a police dog’s career can be as little as eight years or as long as 12 or 13.

“Exercise is huge,” Rothacker said.

Shortly after launching the K9 program, he added a treadmill regimen for the dogs’ exercise routines.

“We’d pre-train [the dogs] for three hours a day toward the end of the pre-training. … But then what happened when handlers would meet the dogs and the dogs would become part of their families, they’d start with eight-hour days for the first three weeks and then it’s 10- to 12-hour days for the last five weeks. And what would happen is the dogs were physically falling apart. So that’s why we introduced the treadmill. Now – not at all. Now the handlers fall apart; they get tired. The dogs are conditioned to work.”

These dogs may be trained to perform a duty, but the bond that grows between dog and handler is undeniable.

Officer Craig Somerville Jr. has worked for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office for more than 10 years. When a position opened to become a K9 handler through Tops, he submitted his résumé for consideration along with many other officers. After an extensive screening process, he was selected to become Diesel’s handler. That was nearly four years ago, and Somerville said, “It’s probably the most fulfilling job on the department, for sure.”

Diesel is not only his partner on the job, but he has become part of his family. And for as much as Somerville has taught Diesel, Somerville said the dog has taught him quite a bit as well.

“It’s a huge commitment. It becomes your life,” he said. “It’s a lot of work, for sure, but it’s also a lot of reward.”