Staff photo / J.T. Whitehouse Poland Township Officer Chelsea Wolfe works with her new partner Sal, who will be the second rescued dog used for the township’s police dog program.

POLAND TOWNSHIP — The police department will be swearing in its second four-legged officer next month as Sal, a Staffordshire Terrier, takes the oath.

Sal is the second rescued dog that has become a police dog for the department.

“Prior to my taking over the department, we had two dogs,” said police Chief Greg Wilson. “We hadn’t had one for about 10 years. I wanted to bring the program back.”

Two years ago, Wilson was able to obtain the first police dog. Pogo was a rescued dog he found in Tennessee. The dog had to be evaluated to see if it had the traits needed to be a narcotics search dog and a tracking dog.

Wilson said the plan was to add a second dog so the canine units could work two shifts. He said the dogs live with their partners and thus work the same shifts.

“We started looking and checked in Colorado and Pennsylvania for a dog that would be a good fit for the township,” Wilson said. “We ended up with a local dog.”

Sal, or Hal as he was originally known, was seen by an animal activist walking around Hillman Street. The dog seemed friendly and was immediately taken to the Mahoning County Dog Pound to be checked for a chip. The pound held onto Sal for a while to see if an owner was going to step forward. That didn’t happen.

On Dec. 15, 2024, the pound contacted Every Dog Matters Rescue and the dog was picked up, according to the rescue shelters co-director Cheri Wallace.

“I noticed Sal had a drive for tracking,” Wallace said. “I would put him behind a closed door and hide his favorite ball in a room. When he was invited into the room, he began looking for his ball. He checked everywhere and didn’t give up until he found it.”

She said that is one of the qualities a good police dog should have. Wallace thought why not offer a local dog to the police department. The ball was rolling and Sal was sent to Mark Peluso from Enforcer Working Dogs.

“Mark assessed Sal and said he had the qualities to be trained as a police dog,” Wilson said. “At that point we put him into training.”

After working for some time with the trainer, Sal’s partner was brought into the mix. Chelsea Wolfe stepped up as a canine officer for Poland Township, and continued with Sal’s training. On July 15, Sal will be tested and receive his Ohio K9 certification at which time he can go on patrol.

For Wolfe, it is a step toward fulfilling her goals. She is an Austintown Fitch graduate, holds a degree in nursing and is a 2020 graduate of the police academy. She serves as a firefighter / EMT with the Western Reserve Joint fire District.

She served for a year-and-a-half with the YSU Police Department before coming to Poland. She started as part time and moved to full time in the Township Police Department about a year ago.

“When I started the police academy, I knew I always wanted to be a canine handler,” Wolfe said. “It was my five-year goal.”

It seems her goal is becoming a reality and in just a few weeks, she will be working with her official partner.

Wilson said the whole program is something really special. Not only does a rescued dog get a career and work to do, but it happens with very little, if any, expense.

Wilson said the adoption fee for the dog is waived, and even the cost of equipping a police vehicle comes at no cost thanks to a $5,000 donation from Mike Simon. Wolfe took over the food bill for Sal, leaving barely any cost to the township.

“This is a first in many ways,” Wilson said. “It is Poland Township’s first female canine handler. (Youngstown Police were first in the county to have a female canine officer.) This is the first in Mahoning County that a local dog is being trained and used as a K9 officer.”

Wilson said it is a win-win for residents and for the shelter.

“We are incredibly proud to be a part of giving a rescue canine not only a forever home, but a meaningful job,” Wilson said. “This remarkable dog has been trained to detect the odor of narcotics, track humans, and locate critical articles.”

He said in just the two years Pogo has been on the job, he is responsible for several arrests and has located many narcotics.

For Every Dog Matters, it is a sign that maybe other dogs could fit the bill.

Presently the rescue has 15 dogs in foster homes scheduled to be adopted, five in foster homes awaiting adoption, and four at the shelter. Wallace said one more is showing the same type of qualities that Sal did.