Keith Bogdanovich knew when he became a Calumet City police officer 11 years ago that he someday wanted to work with dogs.
“I’ve always been a dog person,” Bogdanovich said. “My goal from from the get go, when I started being a police officer, was to eventually become a K-9 officer.”
So when the Police Department brought back its K-9 unit in 2022, after a several year pause in the program, Bogdanovich said he was the first of three officers to become a designated handler. Nicco, a dark haired German shepherd puppy, would soon prove a loyal and dedicated partner both at home and in the field.
But the opportunity was taken away almost quickly as it came. On Aug. 12, while playing fetch in Bogdanovich’s backyard, Nicco took a fall that over the course of several months led to him losing a leg and effectively end his career in policing.
“He went running for the ball, and then I just saw him kind of tumbling end over end,” Bogdanovich recalled Tuesday. “And then the second he got up, he made these yelping and whining sounds I’ve never heard him make before.”
When Bogdanovich noticed Nicco was unable to walk on his front left paw, he knew something was seriously wrong. The officer said the two met with many veterinarians and specialists, leading to six surgeries and seemingly endless complications.
“The first surgery where they tried to repair it, they put a bunch of pins and screws and all kinds of hardware in there,” Bogdanovich said.
“And then it just went downhill from there. The surgical site would never heal. It kept constantly draining. We’re dealing with infection,” he said. “Everyone was trying to have the opinion that this was just a really bad freak accident and a really bad fracture.”
Bogdanovich said he agonized over the decision to amputate the limb, but believes it was the right choice to prevent more complications and save Nicco future pain.
Before Nicco was retired at an October City Council meeting, Calumet City employed three dogs with their own handlers to cover different patrol shifts, Bogdanovich said. The city’s K-9s are dual purpose, able to support their handlers in locating missing persons, apprehending suspects and locating drugs during SWAT calls and traffic stops.
K-9s like Nicco are used across the country for one of two major purposes: in regular patrol duties or for detection of narcotics or explosives. The National Police Dog Foundation’s website states departments usually employ dogs for six to nine years.
Bogdanovich said as a former Marine, he saw firsthand the importance of dogs in combat scenarios that translated to his later police work.
“On one of my deployments in Iraq, we did have a K-9 assigned to us, I believe it was a Navy dog handler and dog, and so that was kind of my first experience with with K-9s and what they do,” Bogdanovich said. “I really was impressed by how they how they were able to locate bombs and bomb making materials.”
Bogdanovich said to be paired with his own dog, he was chosen from a pool of officers who submitted resumes and letters of interest. Despite the premature retirement, he said he is grateful the city allowed him to keep 3-year-old Nicco, who has much life to live as a long-term companion to Bogdanovich, his wife and their 18-month-old daughter.
Bogdanovich said now that Nicco has recovered from the amputation, he has begun searching for a new, less physically demanding role for a dog that loves and needs to serve.
“He follows me to the to the door every time I leave for work, you know, like, ‘Why am I not going?’” Bogdanovich said. “He’s the type of dog that needs a job.”
The officer said Nicco is frequently complimented for his friendly demeanor and he hopes to certify the three-legged canine as a therapy dog to offer support to those enduring their own medical procedures.
“I’m hoping to work with maybe, like kids or veterans who have had amputations or are facing it losing a limb,” Bogdanovich said. “That’s something I really, really am interested in.”
Bogdanovich is unsure if he will receive another K-9, but has not lost hope. Either way, he said, he has no regrets.
“At the end of the day, I have Nicco. He’s my buddy. He was my partner for two years,” Bogdanovich said. “So I’m just happy he’s happy and healthy, and that’s really all that matters to me.”
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
