Sheriff Eli Rivera is excited to announce the addition of K9 Crush to the Cheshire County County Sheriff’s Office, thanks to a grant from the Stanton Foundation that funded the program.

Crush Vom Hexenrudel was born September 22, 2020, in Canada to Irck de la Hutte (Dad) and Witch von Wendelin (Mom). He was one of eight siblings—the only one to be chosen from the litter to be utilized by law enforcement. K9 Crush’s dad Irck was born in France, raised in Germany, and imported to Canada at age 7. He won the 2017 German IPO Championships, defeating 125 top dogs that year! Irck was known for his social nature, clear-headedness, strong and stable nerves, and endless drive. He, without a doubt, passed these traits on to K9 Crush.

K9 Crush was known for his “attitude” and stubbornness during puppyhood. He had endless energy and would channel it however he could. This usually got him in a bit of trouble. The breeder began basic patrol-style training, including article and individual searches done in public businesses and private land. He learned basic obedience commands and built a strong love for his chew toy.

Coming to America was a culture shock to K9 Crush since he had only known one trainer his whole life. Prospect Canine, based in Canterbury, NH, purchased him. Crush was unsure of his new surroundings for two weeks but began to come out of his shell once he realized training and play time meant more time with his chew toy. K9 Crush was trained by three handlers affiliated with Prospect Canine to get him comfortable with new people and ease the transition once he found a home.

K9 Crush was selected for the Cheshire County Sheriff’s Office for patrol duties and narcotics detection in March of 2023. His social nature, and endless drive, made him the obvious choice for the Sheriff’s Office. After several training sessions, K9 Crush went home with his handler Deputy Sheriff Matt Sands, on March 24, 2023. Since then, he has been riding along during regular patrol duties, getting used to his new surroundings, and bonding with Deputy Sands. K9 Crush and Deputy Sands have both completed the Patrol and Narcotics certification and are out on patrol. Although K9 Crush is friendly and extremely handsome, if you see Crush out with his handler, feel free to say hi, and please check with the handler first before approaching.

On June 30, 2021, Deputy Forest retired along with his handler Chief deputy Trevor Croteau.

Retired Deputy Forest, was a two-year Golden Retriever when he retired.  He was born after his mother was rescued/seized during an animal neglect and cruelty case in Bradford, NH. More than 100 dogs were taken from a home by the Bradford Police Department during the investigation. Forest was offered to the Sheriff’s Office by the Pope Memorial SPCA in Concord, NH one of the sites taking care of the seized dogs to serve as a comfort dog.  Deputy Forest served our community, and his primary duties include visiting schools, the court, public events, and interacting with kids and adults of all ages. The interactions were very positive, both by adults and kids that had met Deputy Forest.