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Stu Rota with Dakota, after the dog retired from police work.
No other dog led Dakota’s life, with her last moments with her friend and partner, Chief Sheriff Stu Rota.
The recently retired police dog died unexpectedly on Friday night, after meeting Rota after a year.
From working in the Armed Criminal Squad, swinging from a helicopter, and sniffing out criminals on the streets, the 9-year-old German Shepherd and the police dog took off their vests for the last time.
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Despite being diagnosed with a condition called Addison’s disease several years ago, Dakota was still able to continue working, while taking medication regularly.
It was later decided to retire Dakota a little earlier due to her condition, but mainly because she “deserved” some time off.
Rota, originally based in Wellington, had been her manager since she was 15 months old, but the couple split when they moved to Gisborne in 2019, to seize another police opportunity.
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Dakota leads the way during a boat operation.
Dakota later worked with a new manager, Sheriff Sam Bennett.
But six weeks ago, Rota was contacted by his former senior sergeant and asked if he would like to meet with his old friend and colleague.
Rota didn’t hesitate for a moment, he traveled to Napier to pick her up.
“She complained when she saw me, it sounded like she was crying. She was in a figure eight across my legs and was pushing against me. She was so excited, then once she had removed it, it was back to normal. Ball in her mouth and she was out. “
The pair immediately bonded when they were originally introduced and became inseparable when working in both the Armed Criminal Squad and the Dog Handling Unit.
Rota trained Dakota from a young age to handle loud noises, so she could effortlessly work around noisy machinery, including helicopters and boats.
“I would take her to the airport by the Westpac hangar and play with her while the helicopters took off.”
Dakota’s life has been anything but mundane, from being pulled out of helicopters in specialized police operations, including at sea, to finishing seventh in the 2018 National Police Dog Championship and appearing on national television.
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Dakota retired a bit earlier, mainly because she felt she deserved some time off.
“She’s pretty friendly and loves being around people, but the moment she put the vest on, she knew it was when she was at work,” Rota said.
“A memorable moment I had with her was when a guy ran away from a policeman at a traffic stop in Porirua.
We track properties for over two hours, jumping fences and all kinds, two hours is a long time for a dog to track them.
“We got to a point where she was so tired that I actually took her to someone’s house and gave her a drink from the tap, and she lay down for 15 minutes. Then we continued tracking for another half hour, then we caught the criminal hiding inside a garage. “
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Dakota and her handler Stu Rota during an exercise at Wings Over Wairarapa.
Her final weeks went from action packed to lavish. She didn’t have a kennel, but a “huge bed” on Rota’s deck and “owned the backyard,” with two feedings in the morning and at least two walks a day on the beach.
“It was great having her at home. The bond you have with your dog is truly inexplicable and because of her nature and the things that I have been able to do, whether in a helicopter or a boat, she took me for a walk as much as I took her.
“She was trustworthy and loyal. She was just a beautiful bitch. “
