A new officer with the Zanesville Police Department will be on the streets.

He’s rather young, only 17 months old, has rather long dark hair, walks on all fours and does a lot of tail wagging. Until he has to apprehend someone then Tino, a German shepherd, has speed, lots of strong muscle on his 80-pound frame and very big, sharp teeth.

Tino is being trained with his partner, Officer Mike Schiele, at Pine Grove Kennel LLC in Reedsville.

Schiele has been training with Tino since his first partner, Bosco, retired to an ambassador position after both he and Schiele were shot Aug. 23.

Schiele was shot once in the leg, while Bosco took two bullets that almost killed him. Bosco, who was paralyzed for a time, since has made a miraculous recovery and is back home with Schiele and his family, although he returns to The Ohio State University Veterinary Hospital three times a week for intense therapy.

But Tino is willing and ready to join the force and begin his new job.

“He’s doing great,” Schiele said, as he watched Tino play with master trainer Steven Heater Monday. “He’s fitting right in at home and does great with Bosco. I think they both know Bosco is the alpha dog, and Tino seems OK with that.”

Tino was in training for six weeks before his training started with Schiele. The two are now half way through their six-week training session.

“But he’s a quick learner,” said Heater, who has trained 278 dogs for law enforcement agencies throughout Ohio and West Virginia. “It only took four hours before Tino knew exactly how to sniff out all four odors of narcotics. Some dogs it takes a lot longer. He’s smart, that’s for sure.”

In the first six weeks, Heater taught Tino his basics in narcotics, tracking, bite work and searches.

Now Tino and Schiele are finding their own rhythm together.

Not every dog is successful at becoming a K-9 officer, Heater said.

“You have to have a dog with an even temperament, not one that is mean. A good K-9 has to be very active and wants to retrieve. The dog will want to hunt, go out in the woods, but also be a protector. I look and see if a dog will stand and fight or if he backs away. Backing away is not a good sign.”

Tino was put through his paces Monday morning and was in a training room at the camp searching for narcotics.

“They think this is all a game,” Heater said. “They get a prize, or the toy they like, when they find the drugs. Then we take the toy away from them. It makes the drive to get that toy back high and they’ll want to find it over and over and over again.”

Heater said he first got interested in training dogs when he was 12 and started showing dogs.

“This is really the only job I could find that allows me to do what I love,” Heater said. Heater was previously with Meigs County Sheriff’s Office and then the Athens County Sheriff’s Office, both times as a K-9 handler.

Like Schiele, Heater credits one of his K-9 partners, Calypso, with saving his life. A suspect attempted to take Heater’s gun away from him and Calypso apprehended the suspect.

While Calypso and Heater’s other K-9 partner, Andi, are no longer with him, Heater does have Sinja, who also helps train officers like Schiele.

Tino will be part of Schiele’s family once they finish training and Heater believes a K-9 partner should be treated like a family member.

“Genetically, a dog is a wolf,” Heater said. “Which means they’re a pack animal. If you put the dog with the family, the family becomes the dogs pack. If you isolate the dog, the dog will not be as happy or content. Dogs are never by themselves. They’re either with another dog or a person. They have to feel part of something.”

Heater said officers like Schiele are important to any department.

“There are two types of officers who become K-9 handlers,” Heater said. “There are those who seek the glory and those who really want to make a difference in law enforcement. A good K-9 officer has to be passionate about his work and his partner. The dog is who an officer spends almost all his time with. They’re with each other at work and at home.”

Schiele said he looks forward to hitting the streets with Tino.

“He’s energetic, sociable and loves to work,” Schiele said. “He’s very happy and an affectionate dog. I know it might be hard on Bosco to see me go off to work with Tino the first couple of times, but I’ve been taking Bosco in the cruiser a couple of places and he’s going to have his own special job.”

By Kathy Thompson

LINK

Che cos’è un’immagine? Questa la domanda a bruciapelo che mi venne fatta dal mio futuro mentore filosofico (che pure oggi fatico a definire “maestro”) durante il nostro primo incontro. Me la fece ridendo, e io non capii se stesse scherzando e balbettai irritato una qualche risposta a caso. Seppi poi che dietro quella domanda c’erano in realtà le sue letture dell’epoca, peraltro irrorate di whisky & birra in abbondanza, di alcuni dialoghi di Platone.
Naturalmente tutto parte da quella chirurgica separazione della realtà tra mondo delle idee e mondo sensibile, che sarebbe stata una delle dannazioni della cultura occidentale. Se la realtà è costituita da gradi di approssimazione al vero, dove il segno meno sta dalla parte delle cose e il segno più dalla parte dei concetti – ciò che è più astratto è in realtà il più concreto, ciò che è apparentemente più impalpabile è invece il più reale – quale sarà lo statuto delle immagini?
Dopo avere stabilito nel libro VI della Repubblica la gerarchia della conoscenza, secondo cui le immagini (eikasìa) e la facoltà immaginativa stanno al livello più basso, Platone torna nel libro X sull’argomento, parlando dell’imitazione come attività essenziale dell’arte. Gli esempi di cui si serve riguardano in particolare la pittura e la poesia, le quali vengono accusate qui non tanto o non solo di essere produttrici di realtà di terzo grado (essendo gli oggetti artistici copie di copie), ma soprattutto di risvegliare ed alimentare un certo elemento dell’anima che, così rinvigorito, rovinerebbe l’elemento razionale (605, b). Poco più avanti questo perturbamento dell’anima viene così chiarito:

“Simili effetti produce in noi l’imitazione poetica anche rispetto ai piaceri amorosi, alla collera e a tutti gli appetiti dolorosi e piacevoli dell’anima nostra, quelli che, come diciamo, accompagnano ogni nostra azione. Li fomenta e li nutre, mentre bisognerebbe disseccarli. Affida loro il governo delle nostre persone, mentre dovrebbero essi venire governati affinché potessimo diventare migliori e più felici anziché peggiori e più disgraziati” (606, d).

Insomma, la vera preoccupazione di Platone sembra qui essere di ordine psicologico, etico, esistenziale: le (troppe) immagini fanno male perché eccitano la nostra parte irrazionale, quella delle emozioni, delle passioni e dei desideri, e provocano disordine nel nostro equilibrio, e dunque anche nell’equilibrio politico e sociale (non dimentichiamo che è questo il filo conduttore della Repubblica).
Dopotutto si può anche pensare che il fondatore più organico della “scienza del vero” e il perfido inoculatore del “virus idealistico” fosse in realtà piuttosto ossessionato dal mondo delle immagini, visto che ne parla in continuazione: dall’allegoria della caverna (che ha anticipato il principio del cinema) all’uso fluviale dell’immaginario mitologico, dal conio di celebri metafore ai frequenti riferimenti ad artisti e poeti, sembra che le maledette copie di copie stiano sempre in agguato nell’opera platonica. Se solo l’idea è davvero reale, e le cose sono reali a metà perché ne sono copie sbiadite, come mai quelle ombre sbiaditissime che denominiamo immagini sono in realtà il meccanismo più potente della nostra mente?
La domanda sarebbe rimasta lì a campeggiare per aria per almeno duemila anni, fino a che Spinoza non la riaffronta di petto rispondendo come sappiamo, e come da qualche tempo sto cercando di argomentare su questo blog.

***

Fatta questa lunga premessa teorica, non possiamo esimerci dall’osservare che il tempo presente, epoca kat’exochèn delle immagini in tutte le salse, e figlio della cultura visivo-antropologica di cui siamo eredi (anche grazie alla visione eidetica platonica), riesce a far rimbalzare tale potenza in ogni angolo terracqueo e mentale grazie alla straordinaria potenza tecnologico-mediale dispiegata. Si tratta dunque di una potenza all’ennesima potenza. Mi domando allora se per caso non siamo definitivamente succubi delle immagini e se questo non abbia finito per pregiudicare la nostra capacità di giudizio, il raziocinare e l’argomentare in modo ordinato, stabilendo gerarchie e connessioni sensate tra i fatti e le idee, utilizzando in maniera appropriata i principi di realtà e di causalità – ben al di là del limite di pericolo paventato da Platone.
Proverò a questo punto ad esemplificare, tralasciando per il momento l’aspetto più abnorme e invasivo delle immagini, quello cioè della spettacolarizzazione fine a se stessa, per provare a farne emergere il lato più “razionale” e finalistico, l’uso volto ad uno scopo più o meno dichiarato. Che dovrebbe dunque far leva sui “sensi” per promuovere il “ragionamento”, ristabilendo se non una priorità dell’elemento razionale, per lo meno un maggior equilibrio. L’ipotesi di partenza è la seguente: l’esibizione immaginifica ha senz’altro uno scopo, che forse non potrebbe essere raggiunto solo con la parola, l’astrazione, l’argomentazione. Gli esempi che seguono sono sparsi, senza ordine e connessione alcuna.

1. L’anarchico e antimilitarista Ernst Friedrich scandalizzò il mondo con le sue fotografie sui campi della prima guerra mondiale, allo scopo di dichiarare guerra alla guerra. Il suo è un infinito urlo munchiano che risuona tra le scene macabre ritratte. C’era il celebre precedente dei Disastri della guerra di Goya, e forse si potrebbe disquisire se la rappresentazione mediata dell’acquaforte sia meno diretta ed efficace di quella più brutale della fotografia. D’altra parte un secolo separa i due autori tra di loro, e due secoli di “orrore visivo” il pubblico dell’epoca di Goya da quello di oggi.
Certo, se si pensa alla seconda guerra mondiale si potrà anche concludere che a nulla è servita la propaganda militante di Friedrich, e che lo scopo non è stato raggiunto nemmeno lontanamente – ma una goccia, seppure così corrosiva, non può nulla di fronte al conflagrare delle megamacchine umane.

2. Salto di palo in frasca. Pienamente esplicitato lo scopo della Procura di Napoli a proposito del video del killer camorrista ripreso lo scorso maggio al quartiere Sanità mentre svolgeva in tutta tranquillità il suo “lavoro”: il filmato shock (come si usa dire in questi casi) diffuso sulla rete e in TV era davvero agghiacciante, ma pare abbia raggiunto lo scopo, visto che il killer è stato catturato. Non sappiamo se sarebbe stato arrestato ugualmente prima o poi, ma soprattutto è impossibile determinare se quel filmato non abbia finito per creare ancora più danni nelle teste di chi lo ha visionato. Non abbiamo in tal senso un bugiardino da consultare che ci faccia l’elenco delle controindicazioni (ma questo vale anche per le migliaia di ore di TV-spazzatura, di pubblicità e di youtube visionati dagli ancor giovani nativi digitali).

3. Del resto l’uso onnipervasivo delle immagini di cronaca (nera o di guerra) è diventato il tratto caratteristico della nostra epoca, ben prima della diffusione massiva della rete, con quel crollo ripetuto (e dunque accaduto) infinite volte delle torri gemelle (anche se forse l’immagine più reiterata è quella dell’aereo che si schianta nel grattacielo), e la speculare esecuzione jihadista dei prigionieri occidentali, con teste mozzate e quant’altro.
(In Italia c’è forse una data originaria simbolica di questa china mediatica: vi ricordate del povero Alfredo Rampi caduto nel pozzo e dell’infinita diretta televisiva che ne seguì l’agonia? Era il giugno del 1981, quasi tre decenni or sono!).

4. Termino schizofrenicamente (che è poi tipico del convulso e compulsivo fluire delle immagini) con le fotografie terribili del corpo spezzato e deformato di Stefano Cucchi, ucciso in galera a forza di botte, immagini che ho veduto rapidamente una sola volta, ritraendo subito lo sguardo (chi vuole le cerchi, io non intendo più farlo). Davvero l’esposizione di quel corpo macilento induce insieme orrore e pietà – e il mio pensiero è corso ai corpi deformati di Egon Schiele. Che mi fa anche dire che la comunicazione orizzontale tra le immagini è più immediata, diretta e veloce di quella che corre tra i pensieri. Non il pensiero è la facoltà più fulminea, come pensava Lessing, ma l’immaginazione!

La domanda che sorge dopo questa disordinata esemplificazione potrebbe essere formulata così: perché c’è proprio bisogno di patire visivamente l’orrore per indignarsi? E, riformulata, così: non è che in questo modo, con un passaggio quasi solo emozionale dei messaggi prodotti dalle immagini, si tende a far fuori proprio il livello razionale (e dunque eventualmente risolutivo)?
Anche se la vera domanda è: perché esiste l’orrore?

Zanesville Police Officer Mike Schiele and his K-9 partner, Bosco, looked as if they fit right in with the members of the Zanesville High School football team Friday night.

Schiele and Bosco, both wearing jersey’s from the team, were honorary captains at the game and received a standing ovation as they took the field for the coin toss.
Standing between Schiele and team member Cory Harris, Bosco took it in stride as he walked to the middle of the field and seemed pleased that Zanesville won the toss.
Both Schiele and Bosco have been recovering from gunshot wounds they received Aug. 23 as they were attempting to serve misdemeanor warrants on Dominick Conley. Conley is accused of shooting Bosco twice and Schiele once.

Schiele has been recovering from his leg wound while Bosco, who was near death, fought to not only stay alive but to recover from the almost complete paralysis of his legs. Bosco still has to undergo intensive therapy at The Ohio State University Veterinary Hospital in Columbus three times a week, Schiele said.

“It’s an honor and this is an opportunity for the community to see the progress Bosco has made,” Schiele said of the evening’s event. “With all the support we’ve had from the community and surrounding communities, this is a chance for us to give back and let people see how their support has paid off.”

Shannon McKee, representing Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, said Strickland is proud of Schiele and Bosco.

“He’s very proud of our hometown heroes and that’s what the two of them are,” McKee said.

McKee was at the game to present Schiele with a proclamation from Strickland.
In the proclamation, Strickland said Schiele had shown bravery and selflessness when he and Bosco were put in harm’s way.

“Officer Schiele’s calm and heroic response and his actions to help Bosco after the two were shot is admirable,” Strickland stated.

Rep. Zack Space, D-Dover, wrote a letter that was read at the game stating he, too, is proud of the pair.

“Your actions in the line of duty shows that you are leaders and heroes,” Space stated.
Bosco stood patiently as picture after picture was taken of him and team members, the umpires, cheerleaders and even those in the crowd.

Three students dressed in Halloween garb all had to have their pictures taken with Bosco.

“He’s awesome,” said Jaymin Weaver, 16, a junior. “We all love Bosco.”

Weaver’s friends, Andy Paxson, 17 and Brett Armstrong, 16, both juniors, agreed with Weaver and added they were glad to see Bosco back on his feet.

“I felt really sad for him,” Armstrong said. “I love dogs.”

Other fans were a little younger, but still had emotional messages they wanted to send to Bosco.

Hunter Lavy, 8, Destiny Hammond, 6, Kassidy Jones, 4 and Trey Hammond, 9, all said they wanted Bosco to know they loved him and were glad to see him at the football game.

“He helps protect us,” Lavy said. “I just want him to get better.”

Even before the football game, Bosco and Schiele made a stop at the police department and Bosco was ready to run into the arms of the officers and staff.
Bosco will continue to live with Schiele but will not be back on the streets as a patrol or narcotic K-9. Instead, Schiele has been teamed with a new partner, Tino, a male German Shepherd. On Nov. 9, Schiele and Tino will begin their training as a team at Pine Grove Kennel. Bosco will serve as a public relations dog and ambassador for the police department.

Because Schiele has to drive Bosco to the hospital three times a week, a fundraiser will be conducted from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7 on the sixth floor of the Masonic Lodge on Fourth Street. The event is hosted by the Lodge of Amity 5 Free & Accepted Masons. The cost of the soup supper will be by donation, and chili or beef will be available.

For more information, contact Dave Roberts at 740-455-1145.

By Kathy Thompson & Holly Richards

LINK

«Che cos’è Roma? A che penso quando sento la parola Roma? Penso ad un faccione rossastro che assomiglia a Sordi, Fabrizi, la Magnani. Penso ad un terreno bruno, melmoso; a un cielo ampio, fasciato, da fondale dell’opera, con colori viola, neri, argento; colori funerei. Ma tutto sommato è un volto confortante. Gli intellettuali, gli artisti, che vivono sempre in uno stato di frizione fra due dimensioni diverse – la realtà e la fantasia – trovano qui la spinta adatta e liberatoria della loro attività mentale: con il conforto di un cordone ombelicale che li tiene saldamente attaccati alla concretezza».
Uno di questi cordoni romani per Federico Fellini è la morte con cui i romani per il regista della “Dolce Vita” «sembrano intrattenere un rapporto confidenziale» come scrive nella sua autobiografia “Fare un film”. E a Roma, nell’ormai non più periferica San Lorenzo, esiste una città nella città, il cimitero comunale monumentale Campo Verano, detto più semplicemente il Verano. Monumentale per due ragioni: oggi agli occhi degli abitanti per le sue dimensioni, ma anche perchè è un museo a cielo aperto dove più che loculi di deve parlare di sepolcri. Qui, in occasione del Festival Internazionale del Film di Roma, l’Ama, l’agenzia per la raccolta dei rifiuti della capitale, organizza un ciclo di nove visite guidate gratuite dal titolo “Roma e le storie del Cinema”. Si comincia oggi con partenza alle ore 10-12-15 dal piazzale del Verano.

Dal ritratto di Fellini mancherà la Magnani, sepolta nella cappella di famiglia del cimitero di San Felice Circeo, ma Sordi e Fabrizi ci sono e non solo loro. Sul sito dell’Ama è possibile vedere la mappa delle visite ma cercando bene in rete si scopre che sono molti di più di quelli segnalati i personaggi legati al mondo del cinema che riposano nel grande cimitero. La passeggiata comincia dai tempi dei fratelli Lumiére con la visita al sepolcro del trasformista Leopoldo Fregoli, pioniere del cinema, figlio del maggiordomo dei conti Panciani, l’«uomo folla», come lo definì Jules Claretie. Fregoli fu amico dei Lumière e autore delle prime pellicole cinematografiche circolanti in Italia. Poi i futuristi Anton Giulio e Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia, l’uno regista, critico cinematografico, gallerista di Balla, de Chirico, Sironi, Klimt e Schiele, l’altro fotografo delle dive del cinema, regista dei telefoni bianchi, e di quel “Totò le moko”, dove l’amore trasformava Totò nel bandito della casbah.
Ci sono i divi di un tempo, Salvator Amedeo Buffa alias Amedeo Nazzari, Alida Valli (vero nome Alida Maria Altenburger), i registi del neorealismo Rossellini e De Sica, il western-spaghetti di Sergio Corbucci, i poliziotteschi di Bruno Corbucci, c’è Luigi Zampa, il regista del “Vigile”, dove Sordi sfoggiava la sua divisa lucida quasi marziana da vigile urbano, e Nanni Loy. I grandi mattatori: Vittorio Gassmann, Alberto Sordi, Eduardo De Filippo, Peppino De Filippo, Marcello Mastroianni, Nino Saturnino Manfredi e Aldo Fabrizi. Ci sono sceneggiatori come Sergio Amidei (“La vita agra”) e il doppiatore Ferruccio Amendola. Ci sono Massimo Girotti, Alessandro Blasetti ed Elio (Eraclio) Petri, Checco Durante, e la sora Lella, Ciccio Ingrassia e Camillo Mastrocinque, Isa Miranda e Alberto Moravia, Rina Morelli e Paolo Panelli, Ettore Petrolini e Antonio Pietrangeli, Mario Riva e Paolo Stoppa, Luchino Visconti, una delle regine del melodramma, Milly Vitale.
Il Verano restituisce, magari con qualche errore, un elenco etererogeno di talenti e destini. Il cinema, un’arte così giovane e già con così tanti caduti sul campo, ha trovato un’altra Cinecittà.

Zwiegespräch

War ich krank? Bin ich genesen?

Und wer ist mein Arzt gewesen?

Wie vergaß ich alles Das!

Jetzt erst glaub ich dich genesen:

Denn gesund ist, wer vergaß.

F. Nietzsche, Fröhliche Wissenschaft. Scherz, List und Rache.

Dogs are often called man’s best friend.

That especially has meaning when a dog lays down its life for his owner or, as in the case, when Bosco took two bullets that might have been meant for his human partner.

Bosco and Zanesville Police Officer Mike Schiele, were shot Aug. 23 while Schiele was attempting to serve a warrant on Dominick Conley, according to police. Conley has been indicted on 12 felony counts and faces 106 years in prison if convicted.

Schiele was shot in the upper left leg, while Bosco took a bullet to the chest and one to the neck. The bullet entering his neck area shattered on his spine and has caused major difficulties with the usage of his legs, especially his front legs. Even though Bosco has been able to come home for a short visit, he is at the Ohio State University Veterinary Hospital in Columbus for intense therapy.

While Bosco will probably never return to duty with Schiele, he will remain with the police department as an ambassador.

Bosco’s plight has stirred the community and touched people across the country.

The department’s K-9 unit is completely funded by donations. Police said people have been extremely generous by having bake sales, fundraisers or just donating what they can.

Bosco has also brought into light the importance law enforcement places on K-9 units, which have been used by law enforcement agencies and the military for centuries.

Just in the past decade, law enforcement in the area have used different types of dogs for different tasks — patrol, narcotic detection, apprehension and explosive detection.

Those involved with these units say they have the utmost respect for the dogs and wouldn’t be partnered with anyone else.

The K-9 officers also say the most important message they have for the public is that the dogs are not vicious or mean. They are used not just for apprehensions, which is not as common as it was 10 or 20 years ago, but for tracking lost people or objects, detecting drugs, sniffing out explosives and being good public relations for the departments.

All the dogs are taken to schools, festivals, community events and have demonstrations where even very small children are not afraid to pet them.

The dogs are for not just officer safety but for the public’s safety as well.

Here is a look at your dogs:

ZANESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT

Zanesville Police Department's Paco has been partnered with Patrolman Travis Groves for two years.

Paco is just “one of the guys,” according to his partner, Officer Travis Groves.

Paco was first introduced to the police department in 2006 and was paired with former officer Sean Beck. Beck was indicted on federal drug charges in 2007 and Paco had to be deprogrammed and re-trained. Groves was paired with Paco several months later and the two have been together ever since.

“He’s so protective of all the guys,” Groves said. “It’s so funny to see him around everyone. He knows who has the Fig Newtons and who has the Beggin’ Strips at work.”

Groves said one of Paco’s favorite things is playing with the other officers in the locker room before he hits the streets.

“One of the guys has a fur collar that came off a jacket and we call it Paco’s Muskrat,” Groves laughed. “Paco will sit in front of that locker and wait for the officer to get the collar. Once he gets it, he’s off shaking and acting like he’s killing it. Next thing you know, he’s at another guy’s desk begging for a cookie.”

Groves said he and Paco were a natural fit and have become extremely attached to one another.

“He moves when I move, and he stops when I stop,” Groves said. “His eyes are constantly on me, listening to me and watching what I’m doing.”

At home, Paco again fits in.

“I have little ones at home and two cats, and he just acts like he’s been with us forever,” Groves said. “He knows when it’s time to go to work and when it’s time to be home and relax. He’s just one of us at home. He’s very loving and attentive to the kids and to my wife and I.”

One case Paco has to his credit came when Groves stopped a vehicle. Paco hit on the car detecting narcotics.

“The owner of the vehicle had enough narcotics on him to make it a felony arrest and then during the investigation we got information that led to a federal narcotics case,” Groves said, smiling as he watched Paco chase a ball. “That was pretty cool for him and me.”

While Groves hasn’t had to send Paco on any apprehensions, he said Paco would have no problem bailing out of the car and chasing someone down.

“He’s always there for me,” Groves said. “He’s always ready to go and just a real pleasure to work with.”

NEW LEXINGTON POLICE DEPARTMENT

New Lexington Police Department Sgt. Dan Dodd works with six-year-old Sosha and is training eight-month-old Tazer, right.

Sgt. Dan Dodd knew years ago that he wanted to bring a K-9 unit to the New Lexington Police Department. Without any funding from the department, Dodd trained Sosha and got her certified so she could become the department’s drug and apprehension dog.

As the only K-9 unit in Perry County, Dodd, Sosha and newcomer Tazer are kept pretty busy patrolling the streets of New Lexington and helping out other departments in the area.

“Sosha is more into pleasing me than anything, while Tazer is still learning,” Dodd said. “But they’re both great dogs. Sosha has saved me a couple of times and I’ll never forget that.”

Dodd said he fell into some very high water while on a call.

“She did her job and pulled me from the rushing water,” Dodd said. “She saved my butt.”

Sosha also located a hunter who had been missing for three days near New Straitsville.

“We found him lying up in the woods,” Dodd said as he rubbed Sosha behind the ears. “She found him pretty quick once we got the call. He was OK, but without her tracking him, he may not ever have been found.”

Dodd said bonding with his dogs is imperative. “You have to go to work knowing that you have the dog’s full and complete attention.”

Some officers speak to their dogs in German or Dutch. Dodd speaks to his in Czechoslovakian.

“The first dog I ever had was trained in Czechoslovakian, so that’s what I’ve done with mine,” Dodd said. “Most of us train our dogs in another language so that no one else knows what we’re telling them. It throws the suspect off and gives you the upper hand.”

Dodd said his two dogs are part of his family at home.

Tazer, while learning the ropes quickly, is still a puppy.

“Everything has to be a game right now,” Dodd said as Tazer explored the Perry County Fairgrounds. “He’s learning quick, but things have got to be interesting for him.”

Sosha is a little more laid back, but she does enjoy catching bees in her mouth, spitting them out and then catching them again.

Dodd said likes to involve his dogs to as many different scenarios as possible.

“I’ll even take them camping with me,” Dodd said. “They need to be exposed to as much as possible in the way of different smells, people, situations and environments. You have to know how they’re going to react to different noises.”

Dodd, like other officers, wouldn’t trade either of his dogs for another partner.

“They are the most dedicated,” Dodd said. “They don’t argue and they do what they need to do.”

COSHOCTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Dingo likes to socialize.

“He loves to play with kids and is the best public-relations tool we have,” said handler Deputy David Stone.

Dingo has been with Stone for two years, and he just recently led authorities to a hunter who had been missing for several hours.

Dingo sits during an interview as Coshocton County Sheriff's Office partner Deputy David Stone is interviewed

“I had just come back from my honeymoon and we got called out,” Stone said. “It was pretty rough terrain where the hunter was and he had jumped over some high walls. It was dark and very dense where we were, but Dingo found him.”

Then, because of the darkness, Dingo had to lead everyone out of the woods.

“I’ll take a dog to a human partner any day,” Stone said with a grin. “He won’t hesitate to do what he has to do to get the job done.”

Stone credits Dingo with saving his life at least twice.

The first time came when Stone answered a domestic call. “The guy charges the door and I try to Taser him, but my Taser malfunctioned,” Stone said. “The guy starts to fight and I hit the bailout button to release Dingo from the car and he even fought with Dingo for a while before we could actually get him in custody. He hit Dingo pretty good several times, but Dingo never gave up. I believe he may have been on some type of drug, he was fighting so hard.”

Another time was when Stone responded to a barfight.

“I was getting ready to place the suspect in cuffs when another guy behind me starts to swing down on me,” Stone said. “Dingo took him down and that was the end of that.”

While Dingo guards Stone during the day, he is incorporated into Stone’s family at night.

“He sleeps in the bed with us,” Stone said. “He’s just like having a kid.”

Stone’s stepdaughter, Maggie Snyder, 10, even helps Stone train Dingo.

While Dingo is quick with the wag of his tail and loves to be scratched on his chest, when it’s time to go to work, that is what’s on his mind.

“It’s amazing to people that we give demonstrations for that one minute he’s letting all the kids pet him and the next minute he’s lunging at a suspect,” Stone said. “But it shows how smart they are. They know when they’re suppose to be aggressive and when they’re not.”

Stone said he’d much rather be partnered with a dog than a human.

“Suspects won’t hesitate to fight an officer, but no one wants to fight the dog,” Stone said. “Once he grabs hold of you, he won’t let go until I tell him to. We’ll pull up to a fight somewhere and the minute they see the dog, fights over.”

While Dingo can get the job done, he’s obviously got the other deputies at the department wrapped around his paw.

Lt. Bill Kobel said Dingo is ornery and is like the department’s kid. “He just stole the stress ball off my desk,” Kobel said, laughing.

Stone said he has no doubt that Dingo would save his life again and again if necessary.

“I know Bosco saved Schiele’s life,” Stone said, referring to the Zanesville shooting. “There’s never a dull moment with one and they’re a blast to have around.”

MUSKINGUM COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Zero is the littlest and the oldest dog on the department.

Muskingum County Sheriff K-9 Officer Zero peers from the back seat of his handler Lt. Pete Fisher's cruiser.

But you wouldn’t know it by his actions, his devotion or his sense of duty.

“When I go to work, he’s right there,” Lt. Pete Fisher, Zero’s partner, said. “He’s always ready to go and if he doesn’t get to go, he gets mad and lets me know it.”

Zero may have to be retired soon. At age 11, he’s more than paid for his time at the department by leading deputies to more than $1 million in cash and drugs.

“He’s the smallest, but he has the biggest heart,” Fisher said. “He works big, that’s for sure.”

Zero is not intimated by anyone or anything, Fisher said with a laugh. “Everything he does, he does to make me happy. That’s what his life revolves around. Working and pleasing.”

Fisher bought Zero when he was only 6 weeks old and paid for him to be certified. Zero turned out to be one of the youngest dogs ever to hit the streets. He was only 6 months old when he started working.

“I knew we needed a K-9 unit at the department and so I just did it,” Fisher said. “He’s my dog and when he retires, he’ll stay with me.”

Fisher cautioned that buying a dog from a litter that has not been specifically bred for police work is a gamble.

“You don’t know what you’re going to get,” Fisher said. “Zero came from a litter of six, and only he and his brother worked out. A good pet doesn’t make a good police dog.”

Fisher knew Zero would to be a good partner within the first year.

“We went into a house that had a dog and we didn’t know it,” Fisher said. “That dog attacked Zero and when we got them separated, Zero was pretty banged up. But he kept on going, found the suspect and apprehended him. When it was all over, I had to take him to the vet and get him bandaged up. He had some pretty good wounds on his one leg. But he never stopped and never let it bother him. He knew he had a job to do and he did it.”

The sheriff’s office, like most departments, has bullet-proof vests for the K-9s, but the dogs don’t wear them all the time.

“They’re too hot,” Fisher said. “It’s just not possible to have one on the dog all the time. The dog gets hot, he won’t perform.”

Fisher said leaving a vest on a dog is exhausting, too.

“If you have it on them all day, they’ll be too exhausted by the time they actually have to do something,” Fisher said. “You use (the vest) when you know you’re going to need them. Unfortunately, you don’t always know when that time is.”

The new K-9 officer will soon be part of the Zanesville Police Department.

Chief Eric Lambes says the Schottenstein family of Columbus offered to pay for a new dog and the ZPD graciously accepted. The dog will be hand selected by Officer Mike Schiele and is expected to join the police force in 9 to 12 weeks.

“Mike (Officer Schiele) will go down and work with the trainer and together they will decide which dog is best for what we want it to do. You know, the dog that fits best with Mike’s personality,” says Chief Lambes.

Officer Schiele will continue to work with Bosco once he recovers, but Bosco will only be used as a scent or PR dog in the future. The new K-9 will be around two-years-old and is being trained at a Southern Ohio kennel. Chief Lambes says Officer Schiele is very excited to receive another dog.

“He has agreed to take on a new dog and the responsibilities of Bosco also, so he is going to be a two dog officer. I don’t know if that has ever been done anywhere, but we are going to try it,” says Chief Lambes.

Chief Lambes says Bosco’s courageous story is spreading across the nation. There is a chance Bosco and Officer Schiele will be on the ‘Today Show’ next week.

LINK

It’s been touch and go for a police dog who was shot in the line of duty, and while Bosco’s recovery process has been slow and expensive, it’s moving in the right direction.

With the help of his owner, Zanesville Police Officer Mike Schiele, Bosco made his first guest appearance Thursday night in his hometown since being shot. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as Bosco made his way to the stage.

Strangers showed gratitude for his service, while his partner expressed gratitude for something else.

“He’s the reason I’m still here,” Schiele said.

Bosco is a hero amongst this community, but his fight has reached well past Zanesville, ONN’s Stephanie Mennecke reported.

“It’s not just this community, so many communities across the state and even across the country,” said Zanesville Police Chief Eric Lambes.

Even a K-9 officer from Texas showed up.

Schiele said the healing process has been tough, and it’s been an expensive recovery process.

“The last bill they had was somewhere around $10,000,” Schiele said.

The community is more than happy to pay those bills through continuous fundraising efforts, Mennecke reported.

“You do for them the same as with your own family,” said Joy Pressnel, a dog lover who drove from Columbus to show her support.

As Bosco took center stage, he gave the crowd a healthy bark – a sound anxiously awaited.

“Yes he’s a police dog and a valuable law enforcement tool, but he’s also a member of my family,” Schiele said.

If you want to help Bosco as he continues his recovery, you can donate at the Bucks for Bosco Web site.

LINK/VIDEO

Go, Bosco! Keep on fighting!

———

As Bosco keeps fighting to regain the use of his four legs, donations continue to pour into the Zanesville Police Department to help pay for his rising medical expenses.

Bosco, along with his partner, Officer Mike Schiele, were shot Aug. 23 while Schiele was attempting to serve two warrants on Dominick Conley, police said. Conley has since been arrested and charged with 11 felony counts. His case may be presented to a Muskingum County grand jury today.

Schiele is recuperating from his wound at home, but Bosco, who was shot twice — once in the neck and once in the chest — has been doing his recuperation at the Ohio State University Veterinary Hospital in Columbus.

Bosco has been making strides daily, according to hospital officials, and is beginning to stand on his front legs for a little while, has urinated on his own and is working to stand on his back legs.

And while Bosco continues to fight through the damage caused by the bullets still lodged in him, his medical bills continue to climb.

Chief Eric Lambes said the first week of care will probably cost $6,000 to $10,000 and Bosco is expected to remain at the hospital for several weeks.

Since the K-9 unit is funded completely by public donations, Lambes and his assistant, Linda Highfield, have been overwhelmed by the response they have gotten.

Highfield has received hundreds of cards and letters daily, most with checks for Bosco’s care.

“It’s just been amazing,” Highfield said. “They don’t stop coming and they’re coming from all over.”

Checks have come from not only the Zanesville area, but from Columbus, Dublin, Gahanna and even Texas.

Denny Walker, general manager with Tri-County Chrysler in Heath, donated more than $1,200 to Bosco’s care after holding a fundraiser at the car lot over the weekend.

“The story has made our hearts melt,” Walker said. “He put his life on the line for his partner, and you just can’t ask for more than that.”

Walker said he and most of the employees at the car lot are animal lovers who believe animals should be treated with respect and dignity.

“We just all thought it was a great cause and wanted the department, Officer Schiele and Bosco to know we appreciate all they’ve done for the community and to keep up the good work,” Walker said.

Not only has the department been receiving monetary donations, but one former K-9 handler from South Carolina sent a doggie wheelchair that he used for his own dog.

Michael Grazioso said he knows exactly how Schiele must be feeling about Bosco’s injuries and hopes that Bosco recover.

“I used that chair for my own dog when she had trouble,” Grazioso said. “I know how important your dog is to you when you are an officer and that the K-9s are a great asset to any department. My heart went out to Officer Schiele when I read the story and I just wanted to do something to help. If Bosco has to have a chair, then he’s got mine.”

Highfield said she has received offers of other dogs for the department in case Bosco is unable to return to work.

“We appreciate each and every offer,” Highfield said. “But for right now, before we even think about accepting another dog, we’re going to see how it goes with Bosco. We’re hoping he’ll be able to make it back.”

Donations at this time exceed $5,000, Highfield said.

One huge help in cutting down the medical costs came through Tuesday when MedFlight of Ohio, which transported Bosco the night he was shot to Columbus, decided to forgive 90 percent of the bill.

“We have to be responsible to our company, but we also felt that it was very important Bosco get help as quickly as possible that night and this is the right thing to do,” said Todd Bailey, director of the business division for MedFlight. According to Highfield, the bill could have exceeded $12,000 had the company not given them the discount.

The police department and the FOP Zane Lodge 5 are also holding a fundraising dinner Sept. 17 at the North Terrace Church of Christ.

The dinner, which will be from 4 to 8 p.m., will also be featuring a silent auction, according to Capt. Doug Merry. The charge for the dinner will be a donation.

LINK/ VIDEO

perché non volevo mi toccassero

non volevo sentissero la corrente

ho lampi che mi sbrecciano le ossa

compassi nel  fiato.

Mi sono messa in gabbia

per restare    dentro      me stessa

non volevo fuggire     l a m o r t e

da  subito lei

consapevole di ogni mutamento.

Quando me ne stavo distante

non era  chiara      abbastanza la vita

intendo  l’amore     le cose per cui si muore.

E capita ogni giorno, ogni momento ci si    separa

principalmente da se stessi

quei    dati

in forma di cifra.  Zeri di anagrafi

numeri nel cielo del  d i s a g i o

per questo starsene accampati

tra un giorno e l’altro

senza attendere       senza attenersi alla figura

di quella costellazione illuminante che in noi

decade      la sostanza  resta

prima e dopo l’unica       forma dell’essenza.

Bosco is a special dog.

The K-9 officer with the Zanesville Police Department is getting special care, too, from the doctors at Ohio State University Veterinary Hospital.

Bosco and his partner, Officer Mike Schiele, were shot Sunday evening in the line of duty. Schiele was shot once in the upper left leg and is recovering at home. Bosco was shot twice, once in the neck which shattered his spinal column and once in the chest. Initially paralyzed after the shooting, Bosco is making limited progress, and the next few weeks are critical.

The outpouring of support and offers to help Bosco over the past several days has been staggering. People are donating money for his medical bills, offering to care for him should he make it through this ordeal, and sending him cards and gifts to the hospital.

Yes, Bosco is special, but he’s so much more.

He’s Schiele’s friend, companion and partner, but he’s our dog, too. A little piece of Bosco belongs to each resident in this community. And a huge part of him belongs to the Armstrong family.

Bosco was purchased after Cpl. David Armstrong was killed Feb. 2, 2007, in Iraq. David’s family knew how important the K-9 units were in Iraq to the soldiers and how David dreamed of being a K-9 officer at a police department when he returned.
Through the Armstrongs’ efforts, David’s dream was realized when Bosco was purchased from community donations.

Bosco not only went through 800 hours of intense training in detecting narcotics and tracking suspects, but he also had an additional 80 hours of training just with Schiele.

Those hours not only bonded Schiele and Bosco for life, but Bosco has been bonded to the community for life.

Each year, the Armstrong family conducts a fundraiser for the K-9 unit, and the response is always amazing.

Bosco is not just a dog who rode in the back of a patrol car. He was, and still is, a great ambassador for the police department.

Bosco has gone into our schools, allowing the children to pet him and get to know him. Bosco, as the other K-9 units in the county and city, has been a valuable tool in letting children see the police are there to help, not just to arrest those breaking the law. If one of those children were lost, Bosco — with his unique tracking skills — would be leading the search party.

Bosco has attended a legion of community events, open houses and festivals, his tail always wagging as he greeted those coming and going.

Bosco is not paid, receives no benefits and asks for nothing from anyone. Yet he was willing to lay down his life to protect his partner.

Bosco has kept the dream of David’s alive for not just his family and fellow soldiers, but for our community.

For that, this special dog deserves our support, our respect and our thanks.

LINK

The local FOP has established a fund to help with an injured K-9’s medical care.K-9 Officer Bosco was shot in the line of duty Sunday, Aug. 23 as he was protecting his handler Zanesville officer Mike Schiele.

Schiele was attempting to arrest a Zanesville man on a misdemeanor warrant.

Schiele was shot in the leg and was treated and released from Grant Medical Center.

Bosco was shot through the neck and suffered multiple injuries.

Bosco currently is paralyzed, although he does have some movement in his back legs.

After several days of medical care and pain management, Bosco has shown some improvement.
Bosco has started daily rehabilitation sessions in hopes of regaining more movement as his body starts healing from its wounds.

Bosco is monitored 24 hours a day and is surrounded by dedicated caregivers at the Ohio State University Veterinarian Hospital in Columbus.

Capital City Lodge No. 9’s Fraternal Order of Police Foundation has established a fund to assist in defraying the costs of the medical care.

Bosco has received an outpouring of support from both the police and the public.

The Zanesville K-9 unit is paid for entirely by donations.

If you would like to contribute to Bosco’s care, make a cash donation to FOP Foundation’s “K9 BOSCO FOP Relief Fund” at any Central Ohio National City Bank location.

LINK

Bosco seemed to be happy for the time he got to spend outside his hospital room Thursday afternoon, especially when his partner, Zanesville Police Officer Mike Schiele, showed up for a visit.

Both Schiele and Bosco, Schiele’s K-9 partner, were shot Sunday night when Schiele attempted to serve a warrant on Dominick Conley for assault and criminal damaging. Conley was arrested in Canton the next day and has been charged with 11 felony counts. His case is waiting to be presented to a Muskingum County grand jury, possibly next week.

Schiele was shot once in the left rear side and is recuperating at home.

However, the prognosis for Bosco, who was shot twice, still is uncertain, said his doctor, Amy Butler at Ohio State University Veterinary Hospital. Bosco took one shot to the neck, which hit the top of his spinal column and shattered, and one to the chest.

“A spinal cord injury is extremely, extremely unpredictable,” Butler said. “The best we can do is continue to monitor him, give him rehabilitation, and the next three to six weeks are going to show us how much improvement he will make.”

Butler said the bullets will remain in Bosco because removing them would be too risky.

“Right now they’re not causing any further problems,” Butler said. “Taking the bullets out could cause more issues, and we don’t want those.”

Bosco remains in guarded condition and is unable to move his front legs. He does, however, seem to have some movement in his back legs, Butler said.

“Monday, Bosco was paralyzed in all four legs,” she said as she watched Bosco receive rehabilitation exercises and a massage in the yard of the hospital. “Now, with the help of a sling and some equipment, he’s supporting a little of his own weight and able to move more.”

The way Bosco was cared for is one of the reasons he is progressing.

“He’s in great condition and is a very sweet dog. He’s pretty much taken over all our hearts,” Butler said. “Some police dogs come in, and we’re careful with them, but Bosco has just been wonderful. He’s very special, that’s for sure.”

Butler said the bullets would have killed most dogs, but because Bosco was so well conditioned and muscular, he just might recover from his wounds.

“Had he been any smaller, the bullet that hit his spine would have killed him,” Butler said.

Seeming to be completely aware of all around him, Bosco doesn’t mind being spoon fed special food or all the pats, rubs and kisses from his medical staff and Schiele.

Bosco’s hospital crib is surrounded by stuffed animals and cards from well-wishers, Butler said. When Schiele arrived Thursday, he, too, had a gift for Bosco — a stuffed animal as well as his badge.

Schiele spent the rest of his visit with Bosco outside stroking him and softly speaking to him. Bosco watched Schiele’s every move.

Butler said she is hoping when the swelling goes down in Bosco’s neck, he might get more feeling in his legs.

“We’ll just have to wait and see,” Butler said.

Schiele didn’t want to talk about the shooting. He said his attention is centered on Bosco’s recovery and that he appreciates all the support from the community.

The Fraternal Order of Police and the North Terrace Church are planning a fundraising dinner at the church for the department’s K-9 fund.

The fund, including Bosco’s care, is supported completely by donations. Lt. Bill Shaw said the department has been flooded with calls about where or how to donate money.

“People all over the community have told us they have a feeling that Bosco is their dog, too, and want to help,” Shaw said. “We feel there is not a better way for people to bond and have a sense of community than having everyone join and share a meal together,” he said about the upcoming fundraiser.

A date in September is being discussed, and the Times Recorder will have more information when it becomes available. A silent auction also is being planned for the evening, and anyone with items to donate can call Shaw at 455-0700, Ext. 350.

LINK/VIDEO

MQ

El MuseumsQuartier (o MQ) es el espacio cultural que se encuentra al final de la calle Mariahilfestrasse, al lado del Ring, en el distrito 7. Son tres edificios muy distintos entre ellos (los dos de los lados son de arquitectura moderna y el del centro es de arquitectura barroca) que albergan tres museos: El Leopold Museum a la izquierda, el Kunsthalle en el centro y el MUMOK (Museum Moderner Kunst) a la derecha. Entre los tres forman un semicírculo enorme, así, el MuseumsQuartier, es el octavo espacio cultural más grande del mundo (60.000 metros cuadrados).

Panorama del MuseumsQuartier

En la foto podeis ver todo el MQ:

El Leopold Museum, a la izquierda, contiene una de las mayores colecciones permanentes de arte moderno austríaco. Obras del siglo XIX, una colección de pinturas de la Secesion (con obras de Gustav Klimt o Egon Schiele, dónde está su colección mayor), pinturas del periodo de entreguerras austríaco (con obras, por ejemplo, de Maria Lassnig) y del expresionismo, con obras de Oscar Kokoschka o Max Oppenheimer.

Su pagina oficial es: Leopold Museum

En medio, el edificio barroco es el Kunsthalle Wien, que alberga el arte contemporáneo internacional.

Clica aquí para ir a su página oficial: Kunsthalle Wien

A la derecha está el Museums moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, también llamado MUMOK, donde hay una colección de 7.000 obras de arte moderno y contemporáneo, incluyendo piezas de Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Jasper Johns o Roy Lichstenstein. También alberga el action art y el arte independiente.

La pagina oficial es: MUMOK

El MQ es una zona de reunión de la ciuda de Viena. Hay bares, cafeterías, tiendas de diseño y una gran esplanada llena de sillones de cartón piedra en los que te puedes sentar o tumbar. Cada año los pintan de un color distinto. Por ejemplo, este año son amarillos.

Los sillones del MQ

La pagina oficial del MuseumsQuartier es:

MuseumsQuartier

I have recently had the chance to look back at my past 3 years of Secondary School teaching and browse my way through most of the fantastic work that’s been produced in that time. Whether that be through photos or actual work that is on display in my home, there are a lot of pieces that, even I, can’t believe they were created by students rather than professionals. One of my favourite sketches of all time is the work below by Agnes (S3 from Notredame High).

Agnes had very fine slender fingers and so her beautifully sketched drawing of her hand reminded me of the work by Klimt or Schiele. She could not see the beauty in her style and found no great pleasure in drawing or Art in general, so it’s amazing that she had such an elegant style and observant eye. I had stored this piece inside an art book to keep it flat, so it was an absolute delight to re-discover it.

I will have to buy a nice thick black frame for it over the weekend and show it off on a wall like it deserves, but until then, I thought it would be apt to award it ‘Artwork of the Week’.