Duke

I wrote this in August of 2010.  It's self explanatory.

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Hi!

My name is Duke.  I’d like to take a minute and re-introduce myself.

See, I’m a HSHC puppy.  I was adopted from you guys (the Humane Society for Hamilton County) on
February 14, 2000.  I’m having a fantastic and wonderful life.  Since I've recently joined Face Book (with mom’s help) and found you, I thought I’d reconnect with the place and organization that has made everything I am, possible.

Growing up in Hamilton County has been great.  I helped mom and dad raise the kids, got them lots of exercise and occasionally told on them for coming home late.  We lived in a nice neighborhood and I got to go on walks often.  Mom and dad also got me a membership to Eagle Creek Dog Park. It was a long drive but it was great fun and I got to meet a bunch of new canine friends.  Although occasionally I had to bark at some of the people that were around.  The reason, everyone finally figured out goes back to when I was about 2-1/2.  During a visit from grandma and grandpa I had to bark at grandpa, several times.  Boy was mom and dad mad.  I didn't stop even when they told me too.  The third time I went barking crazy at grandpa, finally, mom and grandma figured out I was trying to tell them there was an issue.  See, grandpa is a diabetic and every time he had an insulin reaction, I could tell and was trying desperately to tell someone.

They all finally came to find out, all dogs can smell chemical changes in people and even the difference between two individuals.  See that’s how we can track you through the woods or track a rabbit though thick brush.  The profoundly sensitive and discrete sense of smell all canines have has been passed down form our wolf ancestors.  For survival, they had to learn to ‘smell’ the wounded or sick individuals in a heard of thousands.  The gift, mom found that I have, is the desire to tell someone when there is a change.

That was the beginning of mine and mom’s training. Over the past 9 or so years I have been training and certifying in blood evidence detection.  I have been to Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina and the Ames NASA Research facility near San Francisco California for specialized training.

I can find a single 10 year old tooth in a gravel parking lot.  I can find a single drop of blood on a red carpet that has been set on fire.  I have worked with the FBI, Indiana State Police and fire and police departments in Indianapolis, Shelbyville and Wabash among others.

I am certified with NASAR (National Association for Search and Rescue), IPWDA (International Police Working Dogs Association), LETS (Law Enforcement Training Specialists), IDHS (Indiana Department of Homeland Security), ICF (Institute for Canine Forensics) and NASA (North American Space Administration).  I have worked missing persons, cold cases, fire cases, and natural disasters like tornadoes and flash floods.

Although I imagine he doesn't remember I even go to meet Governor Daniels once.  That’s when I learned, when he was a young man, he had a dog name Duke too.  What an honor that was.

So… what am I getting at or trying to say here.  Just that as I approach my 11th birthday, (that’s over 77 in people years) I want you to know that some of the pups you adopt out, go on to do great things and that everyone that adopts a pup should know that they have a treasure and a friend for life and a life that will treasure their friendship.

I am proud to have had my start at the HSHC and hope that you are proud to have been my adoption agency.

Sincerely,

Duke “Nuke’m” Randolph