K9 Dante retires a hero
It will be a happy ending for Dante who has arthritis in his hips and has been medically boarded by the police vet.
Umhlali Saps’ K9 Dante is taking a well deserved retirement after nine years of search and rescue service.
The 11-year-old German Shepherd has been hugely influential during his time at the Umhlali Saps K9 Unit alongside his human partner, warrant officer Clinton Odayar.
Together they have responded to more than 900 search and rescue calls since Dante’s first case in November 2015, travelling the length and breadth of KwaZulu-Natal.
In that time they found 22 people alive and brought closure to over 380 families.
Odayar credits their first life-saving rescue together as a turning point in his career.
“Early in 2016 we were called to search for an 18-month-old boy, Samkele Cele, who had been missing for three days in Lindelani,” said Odayar.
“We pushed and pushed and Dante eventually led us to find him, still alive in a trench. I knew then what kind of difference we could make together.”
Another memorable rescue came in Hillcrest, where an elderly man had taken medication and wandered into a nearby nature reserve.
“Dante took me deeper and deeper into the forest until we found the man unconscious on the ground. Luckily we were able to get paramedics to him and he survived,” he said.
Dante was originally a family dog donated to the police, and although he was very professional, he could not help but be a little cheeky sometimes.
“Ultimately he is trained as a hunting dog and has chased all kinds of animals over the years.”
“The only time I lost him was in Maphumulo during a search for an elderly man. Dante chased a goat into the forest and went missing for over two hours before we found him,” laughs Odayar.
“We later found the man alive too, so it has a happy ending.”
It will be a happy ending for Dante as well, who has arthritis in his hips and has been medically boarded by the police vet.
He has officially retired with a number of awards, including national commendations from the minister and commissioner of police, as well as podium positions in national K9 competitions.
Once all the paperwork has been done, Dante will be sent to a family home near to where Odayar lives, for which he says he is grateful.
“We’ve spent so much time together that he really is a part of my family. He gets on really well with my daughters and we will all miss spending time with him.”
“Thankfully we know where he will be going and will have the chance to visit him often.”
Dante’s retirement does leave a void at the Umhlali K9 Unit and Odayar now waits for his next service dog.
Dogs can be sourced by Saps or donated directly, and it typically takes between six months and two years to become ready for service, depending on their level of training.
A replacement for Dante, K9 Zeus, has already been identified in Pietermaritzburg and is being sourced via IPSS Medical Rescue’s non-profit wing.
The company is trying to fundraise R60 000 so that Zeus can join Odayar within the next two months. Visit their Facebook page for details.
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