Members of the Derby Storm Ambulance Corps are accepting donations to cover some costs associated with Pancho, their new search dog.
The Storm’s previous search dog, Kevin — raised by former Chief David Lenart since a pup — died on New Year’s Eve. He was 11 and had been “retired” from the search trade for months.
Kevin’s death hit Lenart hard, though he has plenty to keep him busy.
In addition to the new daily duties connected to being a dad to Amelia, his 7‑month-old daughter, Lenart is training Pancho as the Storm’s new search dog.
Though Kevin was used only a handful of times over the years — most recently in April, when a man with mental health issues was reported lost in Osbornedale State Park, Lenart said a search dog is a good resource for the community.
“We’ll use Pancho mainly to look for missing people. Kids who’ve wandered away, Alzheimer’s patients who get lost, situations like that,” he said.
Storm Ambulance posted a Go Fund Me page last month. They hope to raise $3,000 to go toward training the dog and purchasing some new canine-related equipment.
“We track over rocks and sticks in the woods. They have a tendency to cut their pads, so we’re also looking for some basic first aid supplies,” Lenart said.
Pancho’s lessons started last month at a specialized training center at Tri-Town Plaza set up by Superior K‑9 Services and the Seymour Police Department.
The day the Valley Indy met Poncho, a black lab, he had just tracked down the Storms’ Steven Tracz, who was hiding in a Dumpster. It was part of the training.
The search dog lessons are scheduled to continue until mid-March. In addition to paying for lessons, Lenart says he wants to equip Pancho with a new harness. Food and the like are paid for by Lenart.
Kevin’s training and medical care had been subsidized from donations by Wal-Mart, Griffin Hospital and the Seymour Veterinary Hospital.
Poncho is named after a dog owned by the late Edward Cotter, Lenart’s grandfather. Cotter was a news photographer and first responder. He brought Pancho to many fire and rescue scenes.
The new Pancho is lovable, but his temperament is different than Kevin, his predecessor.
“Kevin was mellow,” Lenart said. “Pancho is a bull in a China shop.”
Still, Pancho knows his place in the Lenart household.
“He lays in front of the baby’s crib at night. If she starts crying he comes running,” Lenart said.
