K-9 Rico

Rico

Rico and I had a unique search technique which basically meant, I told him to find the 'boom boom', and he did.

-- Officer Tony Dunn

Officer Tony Dunn and Rico

I think of Rico every day. These are the only partners that you will never hear complain or would cause a handler to ever think twice about having a back-up.

-- Officer Tony Dunn

K-9 Rico was known as the "Black Lab on Steroids." He conducted explosive sweeps for all the large graduations held in W-S, for several dignitaries such as President George Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush, Colin Powell, Al Gore, Marine One and several locations where the dignitaries held their conferences or speeches.

K-9 Rico assisted in apprehending numerous criminals on tracks and building searches, recovered countless pieces of valuable evidence, and conducted many demonstrations for schools, public groups, and other K-9 units.

  • Breed: Belgian Malinois
  • Birthplace: Holland
  • Date of Birth: May 1996
  • Commands in: Dutch
  • Retired: August 2003
  • Tour of Duty: 5 1/2 years
  • End of Watch: Wednesday, June 23, 2004
  • Age: 8 years old

Rico Fund

Rico was diagnosed with Lymphoma Cancer in August of 2003. After a long and hard fight with the disease, Rico passed away on June 23, 2004.

On April 17, 2004, the Board of Directors for the Franklin and Peabody Morykwas Fur Ever Friends Adoption and Outreach Center (FFAOC) unanimously voted to pledge up to $1,500 in matching funds to help with Rico's medical care. Through raffles and generous donations, FFAOC was able to raise money for Rico's chemotherapy treatments. Even after his death, the Rico Fund is still helping animals in need of severe and expensive medical treatment.

To learn more about the fund and FFAOC, please visit their website.