Headline Surfer video and photos / Though drug-sniffing dog Buddy has retired due to health issues, he still gets to see his former human partner Bruce Holcomb at home. And soon, Holcomb will have a new four-legged K9 and Buddy a new friend, thanks to a $10,000 donation .NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- New Smyrna Beach k9 cop Buddy took a bite out of crime many times over in his four years of service with canine partner Bruce Holcomb.
But Buddy had to be retired last month and soon Holcomb will get a new four-legged partner.
William Mead, executive director of People for Drug Free Youth, presented newly-sworn Police Chief George Markert a $10,000 check toward the purchase of a new police patrol dog at Tuesday night's City Commission meeting.
Last month, K9 officer Bruce Holcomb was forced to retire Canine Buddy from service due to health problems. Holcomb and Buddy served the community as a patrol and narcotics detection canine team. Buddy will remain with Holcomb through his retirement.
The police department will be searching for a new canine partner for Holcomb through several police dog vendors, NSBPD spokesman Master Sgt. Eugene Griffith said.
The new canine is expected to cost $10,000 to $14,000.
But thanks to the PFDFY, such a puyrchase is now viable.
People for Drug Free Youth is a non-profit organization that has operated a thrift store at 1431 S. Dixie Freeway, New Smyrna Beach. The organization has helped youth organizations through community partnerships that address the issue of drugs for more than 26 years.
The police department has received assistance from PFDFY for two decades with their Drug Awareness and Resistance Education program and the previous purchases of several police dogs.
Buddy was purchased on June 25, 2008, at a cost of $10,000 and assigned to
Officer Holcomb, according to a purchasing order confirmed through a public records request with the New Smyrna Beach City Clerk's Office.
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FAST FACTS
Dog Years Defined
A dog's lifespan is only a fraction of the average human's lifespan, which means that a dog ages more quickly in the same amount of time.
This chart shows how a dog's age might be adjusted to compare to a human's age.
At far left is Buddy, New Smyrna Beach PD's drug-sniffing dog, who has retired fuill-time to the residence of his human partner, canine cop Bruce Holcomb. Soon Holcomb will get another K9 and that means Buddy will have another friend, too.
Did You Know?
The dog days were the days when the Dog Star, Sirius, rose just before sunrise. Ancient Romans believed that the hot days of late summer were caused by the Dog Star, and thought that dogs went mad during this time (also that wine spoiled, people became hysterical, and seas boiled!). Due to the precession, or movement of the universe, Sirius is no longer seen in the same position from Rome, but the expression has stuck. So a dog day afternoon would be the afternoon of one of the very hot, sticky days at the end of summer.
Source: Wiki.answers.comTitle of the movie 'Dog Day Afternoon' defined
Dog Day Afternoon is a 1975 Sidney Lumet film starring Al Pacino as Sonny Wortzik and John Cazale as Sal, his partner. This film is based on real life. On the hottest day of the year, three men hold up a bank. What should have been a quick in-and-out robbery turned into an hours long stand off that becomes crazier as the crowds - and media attention - grow. Despite the simple plot, this film covers a wide variety of themes, from ideas about gender and personality, to Stockholm- and Lima-syndrome. Source: tvtropes.org