Rescued dog finds a career in law enforcement

SAVANNAH — Cats may have nine lives, but a local police dog named Malachi has at least two.

Reared by owners who mistreated him, the feisty pup, a strapping mix of Labrador and boxer, came within two days of euthanasia at a Hinesville animal shelter last spring.

But instead of meeting his maker, Malachi was given the chance to become a K-9 at the Chatham County Sheriff's Department, thanks to a twist of fate and a knack for chasing down and sniffing out objects. He's made the most of it.

"Not every dog can be a drug dog," said Sheriff's Deputy Steve Darnstaedt, who handles the rescued canine. "But he's got very high adrenaline, hard drive, high intensity. That's what we look for."

Case in point: At Malachi's first evaluation, "we threw a tennis ball under a desk, and he liked to tear the desk apart getting to that ball," said Sgt. Robert Brooks, whose wife, Petra, directs the shelter where Malachi stayed.

Petra Brooks noticed the dog's prowling proclivities just in the nick of time.

He tried out with the sheriff's office on a Tuesday. He was scheduled to go under that Thursday.

"I like the fact that he has a little attitude," Petra Brooks said of the dog. "He has his own mind."

Once on board, Malachi thrived, training for months in narcotics detection and becoming a fully certified K-9, one of eight at the department.

His start, deputies say, has been auspicious.

Within a few days of hitting the streets, Malachi uncovered an ounce of marijuana buried in the center console of a car impounded by the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team, Darnstaedt said.

Sparing Malachi's life also spared some change for county taxpayers. Malachi didn't cost a dime.