The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Friday, March 29, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel

Carrboro police officer and his K-9 stick together

	Former Carrboro police officer Paul Reinas and his dog, Allie, have been a team for the last five years. Allie retired when Reinas switched departments.

Former Carrboro police officer Paul Reinas and his dog, Allie, have been a team for the last five years. Allie retired when Reinas switched departments.

For former Carrboro police officer Paul Reinas and his 8-year-old K-9, Allie, the phrase “man’s best friend” just isn’t enough.

Reinas worked for the Carrboro Police Department for eight years as a K-9 handler. He worked with Allie for five of those years.

Now Reinas has moved on to work for the Apex Police Department. Luckily for him, Allie — a Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd mix — was ready to move on as well.

“They don’t want the whole dog’s life to be work,” Reinas said. “By the time the department found another handler, the new handler would have to go through training, but Allie was too old.”

Capt. Chris Atack, spokesman for the Carrboro Police Department, said the dogs usually retire at about the age of 10, but Allie was an exception. She officially retired Sept. 24.

“Around the age of 10, we see if they are physically able to work in the field,” Atack said.

He said training the dog with a new owner takes several weeks.

“They go through an eight- to 12-week training,” Atack said. “They have a certain number of hours they must train in order to be ready, and they would literally train every day of the week.”

Carrboro Alderman Lydia Lavelle helps award these retired dogs to their previous handlers after the dogs are considered unfit for field work. She said she knows how close the bond is between the K-9s and their handlers, making her job very emotional.

“When officers work with these dogs they really bond, and it’s really special,” Lavelle said. “When we talk about assets of the town, some of the assets are living creatures like the K-9 dogs, so it is special that these creatures can retire with their owners.”

When it was decided Allie would retire, Reinas said he did not want to part with his closest friend.

“She is with me more than anyone else,” he said. “She is with me at work, on the road, lives at home with me and she has a bond with the entire family. Giving her up would be very, very difficult.”

Atack said handlers automatically have a strong bond with their K-9s.

Reinas said after training with Allie and working with her in the field, he could not believe how close they actually were.

“In three months, we had an amazing bond, and at six months I was shocked about how close we were,” Reinas said.

“I can look at her and tell what she is thinking, and she can look at me and tell what I’m thinking.”

Reinas had another dog before Allie. He said his first dog, a black Labrador mutt, was also very special to him.

“I thought, ‘You were lucky to ever have a dog like that,’” Reinas said.

He said he was surprised to find he could have another relationship that strong with a dog.

“The bond is more than you can imagine.”

city@dailytarheel.com

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.

Special Print Edition
The Daily Tar Heel's Collaborative Mental Health Edition