Rescued From A Tornado

 A K-9 police dog and human officer duo already face plenty of challenges on your ordinary day. K-9's are usually dispatched to drug scenes or when a bad guy is on the run both of which are high risk and put lives in jeopardy. But imagine surviving all of that and working together for 6 years when nature suddenly becomes your enemy. That is exactly what happened to officer Joel Nitchman and K-9 partner Roni at the Deer Park Police headquarters.

Officer Nitchman & K-9 Roni

The pair had just returned to the station after a training session where Nitchman went inside to take care of some administrative tasks. Per usual, he left Roni in the safety of the car equipped with the proper kennel accommodations. Shortly after entering the building the roaring sound of an oncoming tornado rang through the hallways and Joel knew he had to act fast. A vehicle is not the place to be during high winds that can exceed 100 miles per hour. The last thing officer Nitchman wanted was for his buddy to get hurt; "He's put himself in harms way for me before. The thought of debris or the car flipping over, I couldn't have him out there in that!" 

So down the steps he ran to a reluctant Roni who knew enough to realize that running out into the storm seemed like a bad idea. But obedient to his partners commands he suspended his own judgement to stay put and jumped out of the vehicle, following his partner though the tornadic winds, a blown over fence, blinding rain, and airborne debris, all with a flashing background of lightning just to make the scene all the more ominous. Despite the building strength of the storm and what seemed like the tornado sitting right on top of them, the pair made it up the stairs and into the safety of the police station.

When asked why he put his life on the line without even thinking the officer stated, "I love that dog. He's my hip attachment almost everyday of the week. He is a part of our family. You can't leave a loved one, there is no way I was going to leave him like that." Thankfully this caper ended like so many before it, with the pair safe & healthy, ready for the next challenge.

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