K-9 Boone to replace Cain as Deputy Lee’s partner
A new K-9 deputy could prove to be a Boone to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
On Tuesday, Kyle Lee introduced new K-9 partner Boone, a three-year-old German shepherd, to the Putnam County Commissioners during their first meeting of 2022.
The introduction of Boone was coupled with the announcement that Lee’s longtime partner Cain is being retired.
“Regrettably, Cain, who came over with Kyle Lee from Greencastle Police Department, is needing to move over to retirement sooner than we wanted,” Chief Deputy Matt Demmings said.
Cain, now 9-1/2 years old, has served with Lee since 2016, when Lee was still an officer with GPD. Lee was hired by PCSO in 2019, and the City of Greencastle subsequently signed over ownership of the dog to the county.
Tuesday’s requests from PCSO were also transfers of ownership, with Boone set to transfer from Lee’s possession to the county (though Lee will remain his handler and caretaker) and Cain to transfer from the county to Lee.
“Thank you kindly,” Commissioner Rick Woodall said. “We appreciate the donation.”
The Commissioners unanimously approved taking ownership of Boone, but the transfer of Cain to Lee is not quite final.
County Attorney Jim Ensley believes there is some sort of specific insurance that needs to be taken out regarding Cain in case there are ever any liablity issues to which the county might be named.
The Commissioners approved the retirement agreement for Cain, contingent upon review by the county’s insurance provder.
Boone received police certification from VonBernd K-9 Training Center, where Cain and other area police dogs were certified.
The new officer is certified in apprehension and narcotics.
In other dog-related news, Demings reported that the K-9 officer memorial is now in place at the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, a process more than a year in the making.
“It came out just exactly like the plan,” Demmings said. “We really like it, and it looks good.”