Madison Heights Grim

01/10/2021

Yesterday was one of the toughest days of my life. Yesterday, on law enforcement appreciation day, Grim got his angel wings.

Grim (or Grimmy to me) was surrounded by his family on a beautiful 40 degree day on the deck, facing the lake. A doctor from Laps of Love came to our home and helped Grim pass peacefully. My wife and I then transported Grim to Faithful Companion where he will be cremated and his ashes returned to me.

I’m sure most of you know that Grim was struggling as the DM (degenerative myelopathy) and bulging discs were destroying his body. Grim was having more and more trouble moving in recent weeks and was unable to get anywhere without help from my family with a harness. Grim was dependent on us using a harness to get him anywhere.

When he was in the house he was only able to lay on his bed. Over the last week Grim has not been sleeping but panting and whining more and more. I believe Grim was in pain from the discs and we could see the discomfort he was in. I could also see that his mind was still as sharp as the first day I saw him on the obstacle course at Von Liche Kennels. This is why I had such a hard decision to make and why I’m devastated.

From the minute I saw Grim at Von Liche Kennels I immediately ranked him on my list and was lucky enough to select him as the next Madison Heights K9 officer. Over the next 6 bitterly cold weeks we built our strong bond.

Grim definitely got me through the K9 school. I was inexperienced and awkward as this German Shepard pulled me around doing what he was supposed to. I remember the trainers saying “trust your dog.” I would carry that with me through the remainder of our training and until the end of our time as a K9 team in March of 2020.

Over the course of our years together working in Madison Heights and other surrounding cities, Grim made some great finds (a few memorable were—stolen gun dumped by a man running from MSP, a handgun dumped in bushes by subjects that had just robbed a Walmart, tracking a carjacking suspect and catching him in an abandoned home in Detroit, finding a subject that ran from police armed with a handgun).

If you were lucky enough to work with or meet Grim, you automatically fell in love with him. He was the most handsome and loving K9 that most have come across. I know this for a fact as the countless number of officers, fellow K9 handlers, school children, parents, and community members that got to meet Grim told me, and who am I to argue that!

Grim was my first big dog in my life and I’ll never be able to replace this void that I now have.

To my fellow handlers that Grim and I were lucky enough to have trained with and get to know, thank you. The last 8 1/2 years is something that I will never forget. We shared some great laughs and some scary times with our K9s together. Again, I’m glad I was able to experience that with Grim.

Thank you to all my family, friends, and citizens that have reached out to me. It means a lot.

Jeff

08/26/2020

I am finally getting around to posting a couple of quick pictures of MHPD’s new K9 Harko! Harko is a German Shepard/Malinois mix. Harko is 1 and a half years old.

Officer Bradley and I were able to watch 11 different dogs run through demonstrations of bite work and narcotic detection. We had 6 other police departments selecting K9s with us.

Officer Bradley was happy that he was able to get Harko, which was his first choice. Officer Bradley and Harko will now have to complete 6 weeks of training together before they are deployed as a K9 team on the road.

Eventually, Officer Bradley will take over this page and continue to update their progress.

Thanks all

08/19/2020

Apologies for not updating since Grim has retired. Grim had a small retirement party at MHPD that was planned perfectly by Suzette (our administrative assistant). Grim had his own cake, snacks, and presented with chew toys from employees. It was very nice to see how much Grim is loved.

Grim’s rear legs continue to degrade and he is having a much harder time just getting up. Saying that, Grim is still a happy boy and loves his treats. Thank you for keeping him in your thoughts.

Now for some exciting news....

We are getting a new K9 and a new K9 handler. Officer Bradley and I are heading down to Von Liche kennels in Indiana to select a new K9.

Officer Bradley works the midnight shift and is excited to begin this chapter of his career. We will get pictures up as soon as we can.

Thanks again everyone

06/22/2020

My wife has been doing lots of research on how to get Grim more active. We had a friend recommend this product for Grims hips. It’s Velcro and nylon support around the hips.

Hope everyone is enjoying this warm weather.

06/12/2020

Grim and I just wanted to stop in and say hi. Grim is doing alright. As you can see Grim is still enjoying himself.

04/23/2020

Grim made the cut for episode one

The pilot episode of our docu-series, exploring the complex world of police K9s. Learn more about the project at www.K9UnderTheVest.com and follow us on Face...

04/21/2020

I think Grim is realizing retirement isn’t so bad.

04/15/2020

To say he is excited to be riding around with me today is an understatement. Grim should be getting his adjustment from Dr Grant today. Unfortunately he hasn’t shown improvement but is still a happy guy!

PS I’m not mean mugging, he just laid a sloppy kiss on me.

04/05/2020

Hoping everyone is staying safe and at home. This is how Grim wakes my wife up in the morning.

04/03/2020

First dip of the year. Hope it relieved some pain from his back.

03/24/2020

Grim has been pretty bummed out when I leave in the morning. He will be coming with me tomorrow for his chiropractor appointment to give him some relief.

In the meantime.....

03/23/2020

As many of you all know, the PLEA Foundation is celebrating its 5 Year Anniversary this year.

In August of 2016, we had enough funds to donate a bullet-proof vest to our VERY first donation recipient, which was K9 Grim from Madison Heights Police Department

We had a Donation Presentation at their Police Department and we got to meet the lovely Grim. He was such a social dog, and LOVED being pet and all of the attention we were so eager to give him!

Over the years, K9 Grim helped the City of Madison Heights and other neighboring cities considerably with not only keeping the community safe, but showing the majestic switch that Grim has from doing work, and getting loves by so many civilians, friends, colleagues and family.

This past February, Officer Lewis and Grim attended our annual Crop for Paws fundraiser, and he was such a ham! He was such a crowd pleaser, soaked up all the attention he got, and we got to celebrate his Birthday with him one day early!

Grim is and always will be our starting point in our organization, it is so great to show everyone where we started and how far we've come.

We heard news today that K9 Grim has suffered an injury and he has retired from the force.

Please join us in thanking K9 Grim and Officer Lewis for their 7 years of service and dedication together for the City of Madison Heights Police Department.

Madison Heights Grim, We love you & hope you enjoy retirement, and tons of treatos!