The first Salisbury Township Police Department K-9 Unit was placed into service in May 2003. Several citizens, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office and Salisbury Township provided funding for the purchase of the canine and related equipment. Zeus, a one and a half year old Shepard, was imported from Budapest, Hungary.  Officer Laky and Zeus spent over a month in basic training at the Castle K-9 Academy in Mechanicsburg, Pa. before joining the patrol staff.

The K-9 Unit has become a very important part of this Department. The unit was responsible for taking over $40,000 worth of illegal drugs off the street.  The use of our K-9 Unit has resulted in enhanced officer safety and a reduction in time spent conducting building and area searches.  Zeus was extremely effective during deployments at large disturbances. The mere presence of our K-9 has prevented many problems and caused a reduction in disorderly behavior and violence. Officer Laky and Zeus also served as Police Department ambassadors during many public appearances throughout the years. Zeus was truly a valued member of this Department and an important asset to our community.  Zeus retired from active duty in May 2010 and he spent the rest of his life with Jason Laky and his family. Zeus passed away in 2013.

Zeus was replaced by Fonzie in the Fall of 2010. Fonzie has progressed through his training and has become a first-class tracker and drug detection dog Officer Laky has spent many hours planning, developing and implementing the K-9 program. He has given up much of his personal life to provide loving care twenty-four hours everyday for his K-9 partners.

The fourth annual “K-9 Trials” Program was held in 2014 at Salisbury High School and over thirty law enforcement K-9 teams participated in the event. Officer Laky’s dedication to Zeus, Fonzie and the police K-9 program has been outstanding. We have raised over $16,000 dollars during the four years of this event.  We have given the donations back to the families of fallen Officers and also assisted with providing bullet proof vests for canine to other agencies.  We will continue to support our Law Enforcement families into the future. We will continue to hold fundraisers to help the K-9 Unit remain a positive part of the community and a useful tool to our department.

2014 was a great year for the K-9 Unit as we handled over 48 calls of service whether that was performing duties in Salisbury Township, assisting other agencies and doing public demonstrations. I have also taken the oppourtunity to become a judge for the National Police Canine Association with is the second largest K-9 association in the United States.  I have been a judge for three years certifying our K-9 Teams in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding agencies. I also attended the National Police Canine Conference in San Antonio Texas August of 2014.  This conference was put on by the National Police Canine Association offering classes on many areas of the canine world.  It was a great experience and provided valuable information that would be useful on our job.

 Fonzie is now coming up on his fifth year of service with our department and turning eight years old.  He is certified as a Patrol/Narcotics dog with the National Police Canine Association. He continues to progress with our training and is always willing to please.  Certifications are held yearly and keep the K-9 Unit up to standards required by Lehigh County.  We have put in long days and countless hours to keep the K-9 Unit hopefully ready and fully prepared to take on any problem.  Being in the K-9 Unit since its inception has been a great experience and a lot of hard work.  This is more than a full time job and requires an absolute dedication from the handler.  Zeus has set the standard high for the current canines and the future of the canine Unit.  We will continue to work as a team and accomplish great things in the years to come for our department.  

MEET K-9 FONZIE