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For the second time in two weeks, the South Dakota Highway Patrol has laid one of its police service dogs to rest.
Cora, a Belgian Malinois, was put down this week because of cancer. Cora was one of the first police dogs brought into service for the Highway Patrol. Cora joined the Highway Patrol team in 1995. She and her handler, Randy Hofeldt retired from the force together last summer. The two worked as a narcotics detection team in the Pierre area for nearly a decade. During their tenure, Hofeldt and Cora were regular faces at canine demonstrations throughout the central part of the state.
“Unfortunately we’ve lost some very good service dogs recently. The Highway Patrol started its canine program in 1991. Many of the dogs we worked with for years are just getting to that age,” said Lt. Scott Sheldon, Service Dog Unit Supervisor.
The South Dakota Highway Patrol has a strong system in place for training new service dogs and for maintenance training of veteran dogs. The Highway Patrol provides four statewide maintenance sessions a year. At the sessions, the teams are tested on detection and tracking abilities and techniques. Additionally, the detection dog teams must train for a minimum of four hours a week. Multi-purpose dog teams must train for eight hours a week.