Chester County Sheriff Fredda Maddox introduced Marley, the newest member of the office, on Jan. 14. Following a training period, the 18-month-old Labrador retriever will replace the recently retired K-9 Melody as the courthouse comfort dog.
K-9 Marley, who is partnered with Sgt. Janis Pickell, followed the same path to the Chester County Sheriff Office (CCSO) as K-9 Melody. He received training at the Seeing Eye in Morristown, N.J., a renowned guide dog facility. Occasionally, dogs do not meet the Seeing Eye's specific requirements for service and become "career change" dogs, frequently finding a productive home in law enforcement or search and rescue.
Sgt. Paul Bryant Jr., who heads the CCSO K-9 Unit, said that he was pleased that K-9 Marley became available days after he called the Seeing Eye center to make inquiries. Bryant also said that demand for K-9 Melody's services more than tripled during her tenure of more than four years at the Chester County Justice Center.
Pickell, one of K-9 Melody's handlers, said she expected the transition to full-time K-9 comfort duties would be seamless.
K-9 Marley received a warm welcome from the entire office, where employees also said they look forward to watching him in action. In the meantime, their challenge will be to avoid interrupting K-9 Marley's training regimen. During that period, deputies may need training to resist the natural impulse to pat Marley on the head.
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