Avalanche of calls to adopt CT dog trained for police

Harwinton Animal Control Officer Tom Mitchell and Flash read the flood of inquiries about adopting Flash after a Hearst Connecticut Media report about the dog, who was trained to be a police dog bit has remained in the pound for two years. less Harwinton Animal Control Officer Tom Mitchell and Flash read the flood of inquiries about adopting Flash after a Hearst Connecticut Media report about the dog, who was trained to be a police dog bit has ... more Photo: Submitted / Harwinton Animal Control, Tom Mitchell Photo: Submitted / Harwinton Animal Control, Tom Mitchell Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Avalanche of calls to adopt CT dog trained for police 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

After two full years in the pound, Flash the dog may be close to finding a home.

Harwinton animal control officer Tom Mitchell said he’s received 220 phone calls in the 36 hours since a Hearst Connecticut Media report about Flash, and “that’s not counting Facebook messages, texts or emails.”

The flood of interest is “overwhlming,” too much for him to handle, Mitchell said Saturday evening on Facebook.

“It will be impossible for me to answer everyone,” Mitchell wrote. “Flash and I are working hard over the weekend to narrow the list down to people who meet the qualifications. We will then schedule any meetings and Flash will decide from there! Thank you all for your interest, support, shares and understanding.”

Flash, a Belgian malinois and German shepherd mix, came to animal control a 1-year-old stray, “very skinny and a mess,” Mitchell said this week.

Her intelligence and demeanor led Mitchell to have Flash trained as a working dog. She learned both narcotics detection and suspect apprehension, and the plan was to send her to a police department in Texas.

That plan fell through, though, and Flash remained in the pound, for two years. Mitchell said on Facebook that, “It is my mission to find this amazing dog a home other than the pound.”

The same intelligence and demeanor that made Flash a perfect police dog made her a difficult dog to adopt.

“This is a machine of a dog,” Mitchell said. “She will trust her handler, but she’s not going to let somebody approach whoever’s holding her on a leash.”

She has some resource-guarding and reactivity issues that make a home with children “a setup for a failure,” Mitchell said, and she’s not suited for work as a companion animal for a person with disabilities.

“She’s an alpha,” Mitchell said. “Way too dominant to be considered for service work.”

Mitchell said he’s looking for a single-person household, preferably an owner with experience handling dogs in the military or police.

Of the hundreds of prospective owners that have come forward in recent days, Mitchell said “many” are possible fits.

“Flash and I will start sorting through them tonight,” Mitchell said.

When asked if, after two years in the pound, he thought Flash might find a home, Mitchell said yes: “I’m very confident she will.”

What you’d need to adopt Flash

- Experience: Flash needs a person with experience handling a focused working dog.

- No children: Flash loves kids, but a home with children would be a “setup for a failure,” Mitchell said.

- A single-person home: Flash is great with her handler, but has been trained to guard her person.

- A military or police background: It’s not imperative, but a person who worked with dogs in the service would be best.

- No other dogs: Flash likes other dogs but can be overly reactive.

Find the Harwinton Animal Control on Facebook: facebook.com/harwintonanimalcontrol