Royal Oak's New Officer Enjoys Meeting People, Smelling Flowers

ROYAL OAK, MI — Royal Oak has a new officer who will be patrolling around town before the year is up. His name is Conan and he’s a very good boy.

Soon-to-be officer Conan replaces Ryker, a German Shepherd K-9 officer with seven years on the job. He just retired after a solid career of doing incredible feats for the Royal Oak Police Department (and even neighboring cities) like once sniffing out over a million dollars and 14 kilos of heroin in a single bust.

There’s some big paws to fill in Royal Oak, but officers like Kevin Cavanagh, who will be his handler, say he’s up to the job. Even the name Officer Cavanagh gave him means “little wolf” in Gaelic.

As for his stats, Conan is a Belgian malinois and German shepherd mix. He was born in Hungary and is one and half years old, according to Cavanagh. The pair have only met once, but Cavanagh said there was an instant bond.

“During my first day with him, I learned that he has tons of energy,” Cavanagh told Patch. “He only likes laying down when he is in his kennel because he just wants to explore everything. From meeting people to smelling flowers he is just interested in everything.”

He’s also very interested in toys. In fact, he thinks everyone should have one for him.

“He is very friendly around people, but if you walk up to him holding something (papers, a coffee cup, etc.) be careful because he thinks — and is hoping — it is one of his toys," Cavanagh said.

Conan is about to take part in pre-service training in Southfield and then undergo six weeks of rigorous training at the Patrol Dog Academy before hitting the streets of Royal Oak. During the first month, he will be trained on drug scent recognition, article searches, tracking, bite work and basic obedience.

After the month is over, Cavanagh will train with him for about six weeks and will continue working on the same skills but with the goal to really bond as a pair.

“The most important thing is we will start learning how to work together as a team,” Cavanagh said.

Conan currently weighs in at 66 pounds of pure joy. But by the time he is done training, he will likely have gained a solid 10 pounds of muscle and be able to take down suspects or locate a missing person in a dire situation — just like his predecessor Ryker was able to do for the community (he once apprehended a larceny suspect and assisted a suicidal person in need of help).

Not a lot is known about Conan’s life up until this point, Cavanagh said, but he has a history of being groomed for this position.

He came from Shallow Creek kennels and was raised in a small town in Europe and was hand-picked in Hungary by the owner of Shallow Creek kennels to travel to Pennsylvania to become a police K-9, Cavanagh said. Even while he was still at Shallow Creek, he was taught how to search for his toys and even learned some bite work.

Conan and his handler Officer Cavanagh should be on the streets by the year’s end. As for Ryker, he’s now living his best life at home with his handler, doing dog things like being spoiled and enjoying retirement. Read all about Ryker here.