 Detective Jeff Parsons’ fondness for his K-9 partner, Rudy, is apparent. Rudy is loved by all members of Parsons’ family, the detective said, including his 2-year-old son.
This would be a noteworthy record for any police officer, particularly one who’s served the department for only three years. It’s even more so when you realize that Rudy is a dog, specifically a drug dog that for the past two years has been the partner of (now) Detective Jeff Parsons.
Rudy recently retired from his police work because of a medical reason — hip dysplasia, a painful condition resulting from a misalignment of the hip joints.
After graduating from the Little Rock K-9 Academy on Sept. 12, 2003, Rudy joined the police department here in September 2003 and was initially assigned to Officer Scott Fritz. Rudy continued to serve as Fritz’s partner until December 2005 when Fritz left the department. Rudy then was assigned to Parsons.
The dog’s last day of active duty was Dec. 8, 2008, said Parsons, who won’t be getting another K-9 partner since he’s now a detective for the department.
Rudy will be able to live a normal life as a family pet,” Parsons said. “Getting in and out of cars is difficult for him. It put wear and tear on his hips.”
The Benton force has begun the process to acquire another drug dog, but it will be assigned to another officer, Chief Kirk Lane said.
“Rudy’s been a great working dog,” he said. “Nothing he did has ever been contested in court.”
Parsons said it has been a “privilege” to work with Rudy and he’s grateful that the dog will continue to be part of his life.
“We have a special relationship,” he said. “I’m thankful the Benton department gave me this opportunity.”
Making the transition from his first handler to Parsons was not especially difficult, Parsons said.
“He just kept on doing what he was used to doing,” he said. “We’ve gotten along great from the beginning.”
It’s been more difficult for Rudy to adjust to not working than it was for him to adjust to a new partner, Parsons said. “He’s used to leaving with me when I leave the house and now he stays home,” he said.
Though he is enjoying his new responsibilities as a detective, Parsons misses his constant contact with Rudy. “I talked to him when we were in the car together.”
Rudy is unique in that he responds to both English and German commands, Parsons noted. “There are only a few simple commands we use, but he will respond to either language. He was initially trained in the German language, but he adjusted to English.”
He also responds to hand signals, Parsons said.
Rudy has recovered from another medical problem he experienced last year, Parsons said. “Even though he was on heartworm preventative, he still got heartworms and had to undergo treatment. He lost 15 pounds, but he’s back up to his normal weight now.”
When Rudy would make a drug hit, his reward was “toy time,” rather than a food treat, Parsons said. “He has a leather toy that he likes to play tug-of-war with. The only time he could play with that would be when he would locate narcotics.
“The toy smells like the narcotics,” which served as an encouragement for the dog, Parsons said.
The drugs Rudy was trained to detect were marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin, Parsons said. “He never found heroin. There’s not a lot of that in this area.”
Rudy also likes to chew on paper, normally not a problem, except for the time he grabbed Parsons’ paycheck.
Though trained to work in an area where he came into contact with unsavory individuals, the dog is gentle, Parsons said. “My wife and my 2-year-old son love him.
“My son’s crib is placed by a window where he can see Rudy in the yard,” he said. “The first thing he does when he wakes up is stand up and call Rudy.”
In a recent City Council meeting, the aldermen passed a resolution commending Rudy for his service to the city and authorizing Mayor Rick Holland to give Rudy to Parsons.
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