tom vant leefdaalhof - Page 8

Kathy very sorry for your loss, it was obvious you loved him and respected him very much.  I'm sure he enjoyed his life with you as his partner, and thought just as highly of you as you do him.  Thank you to both of you for keeping the streets a little safer so the rest of us can sleep at night and feel safe in our homes.

Sorry for your loss Kathy.....peace!

On January 30, 2006, a 911 call was dispatched that a male suspect was threatening to burn down his girlfriend’s house with her and her children in it.  Additional information was dispatched that the suspect had a knife and was ‘out of control’.  When the K-9 and Deputy arrived at the residence the first time, the suspect fled on foot into a heavy freezing rain.  A next door neighbor noticed that the door to her Jeep SUV was open, so K-9, his Handler and another Deputy ran a patrol Route in an attempt to locate the suspect, but the freezing rain increased to almost torrential and the sweep was halted with both Handler and other Deputy soaked to the bone (K-9, of course, wanted to continue.  The Deputies and K-9 stayed mobile in the area to await the return of the Suspect while another Sheriff’s Unit returned to base office to type a warrant for the Suspect.  The wait was not long, as the second 911 call came in shortly thereafter stating the suspect had returned, was breaking furniture and was involved in a verbal altercation with the victim, his girlfriend.  Deputies and K-9 arrived within one minute.  The Deputies and K-9 approached the porch and peered through a window in the front door.  The victim was not seen, but the Suspect was observed peering around a partial wall, then backed out of sight.

When the Deputies and K-9 entered the house, they moved through a living room into a combination dining room/kitchen where they encountered the suspect in a corner at the end of a 6’ table.  K-9 and Handler took a guard position about 8’ from the Suspect as other Deputy ordered the Suspect to go to his knees, cross his ankles and lock fingers behind his head.  To the orders the Suspect complied, but kept staring at K-9 and calling him a piece of (expletive)!  As the one Deputy got one handcuff on the Suspect, the Suspect became agitated and rose up, pushing Deputy away like a fly and shouted “I am going to KILL that dog!”  The Suspect then lunged at Handler and K-9.  K-9 countered the Suspect’s attack with an automatic response without a command by launching for a bite.  The crazed, agitated Suspect grabbed K-9 on each side of his neck, mid flight, and used his momentum to slam him into the wooden table.  K-9 launched again at the Suspect who again grabbed the side of K-9’s neck/face, but this time K-9’s momentum drove the Suspect backwards into the living room with the Suspect falling backwards with dog on top of him (breaking furniture as they fought).  K-9 engaged the Suspect and bit him in the face, head and arm.  The suspect, who felt NO pain, pulled dog away from his face and tried to choke K-9 with his arms and then cut dog’s air supply off with his hand all the while shouting “I am going to KILL this dog!”  K-9 growled and continued to fight the fight of his life.  A third Deputy arrived and tazed the Suspect 2 times while the Suspect was engaged in the fight with the K-9.  As the Suspect’s hold and desire to fight lessened, K-9 was pulled off of the suspect and put into a guard position about 4 feet away from the Suspect.  The Suspect was handcuffed and as a fourth Deputy moved in to remove broken furniture that was tangled in the Suspect’s leg, Suspect side kicked this Deputy, injuring his leg.  K-9 threatened re-engagement and the Suspect finally submitted, but not before spitting a mouthful of blood at K-9 and his Deputy Handler and threatened that “when all of this is over I am coming to kill both you and your dog!”

This K-9 NEVER gave up the position of putting himself between the ‘bad guy’ and his Handler.  K-9 was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice before allowing this crazed felon to injure his handler or any of the other Deputies.  He NEVER quit

http://www.gsdcno.org/Herodog2007.html

To see the text of this Leefdaalhof son's award.

Great story hunger!  I can't help thinking though, if you taser a guy that is holding a dog, wouldn't the dog get the shock?  Ever hung on to an electric fence before and grabbed someone?  They get the lifter not you.

One of the Best Sons over here of Tom is Eros, Father of the 2010 WUSV champion and there are many other top Sons of Eros working in Belgium three yesterday were in the Belgian National Championships,
I think Eros will become a well known Dog in the future breeding of the German Shepherd Dog
Steve1

Sable, in testing and interviews with K9 officers who's dogs engaged during TASER deployment only if the dog bites between probes is there a risk of shock.  For discussion on this see:

http://forums.officer.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-44140.html

Eros and Como's records speak for themeselves.  Not to take anything away from their acheivements (as if you could take away from obtaining the WUSV title), I still wanted a dog that was proven outside the competition arena.  That is why Griff.  Of course there is nothing to say that both Eros and Como would not have the same degree of fight in real life, as clearly from all the progeny mentioned, the Leefdaalhof lineage resulted in extraordinary drive and courage.

Hunger
I can assure you Como is no soft potato i for one would not want to get on the  wrong side of him, according to what i have heard his Father Eros was a real handful as was his Father Tom real tough Dogs However Eros is still with us at a portly 13 years old and going strong
Steve1

Steve1, I hear you and, after these boys, I probably can have one more and it will be one from Eros/Como/Griff...so I am a true believer. Griff got his never quit from somewhere, and likely it is that Leefdaalhof lineage that Eros and Como carry on so very well. 

Just curious guys....what about Tom son..Vito? How does he rate to Eros.....?