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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2016)
S moke S ignals APRIL 1, 2016 5 Tribal police dog Nixwa put down during attack By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor Tribal K-9 Police Officer Nixwa was killed while he was attacking the family members of a Grand Ronde police officer on Sunday, March 20, in Otis outside of Lincoln City. The Tribal police officer had been caring for Nixwa for about a month at his home. “A tragedy occurred when a Trib- al police dog bit family members of one of our Tribal police officers,” said a March 21 statement released by Tribal Council. “Our thoughts and hopes for a speedy recovery are with those who were injured. The Grand Ronde Tribal Police are working with other local authori- ties to investigate the circumstanc- es surrounding the incident. “When animals are involved, no matter how well-trained, there is always a measure of unpredict- ability and action must be taken to protect all involved. During the course of the attack it became nec- essary to put the dog down to cease the attack. We expect a full report in the days to come. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected by this tragic incident.” According to a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office press release, Nix- stated. Martin told the Lincoln City News Guard that the dog was being kept in a kennel at the officer’s home and the wife and son let the dog out for a bathroom break. “It’s unknown why, but the dog attacked the child,” Martin said. Martin added that the officer in charge of Nixwa had worked the night shift. Both victims were Smoke Signals file photo transported to Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital in Tribal K-9 Police Officer Nixwa Lincoln City. The boy was then transferred to Legacy Emanuel wa attacked a 2-year-old boy and Hospital in Portland where he was when the boy’s mother attempted treated and released for multiple to pull Nixwa off the child, she was bite wounds on his ear and legs. The attacked. mother remained in Lincoln City The mother alerted a next door and also was treated and released neighbor by throwing a stick at his for multiple bite wounds on her legs. window, causing him to look out- Martin said no charges were filed side. The neighbor fired one round in the case. from a shotgun over Nixwa, but the The police officer’s family and dog continued biting the woman. neighbor requested that their The neighbor then fired a second names not be released and the Lin- round, which stopped the attack. coln County Sheriff’s Office did not Nixwa was ruled deceased by An- cite an address where the incident imal Service Deputy David Martin occurred because it is the home of upon his arrival, the press release a law enforcement officer. Nixwa was selected in January 2014 from among three dogs at Ad- lerhorst International Kennels in Riverside, Calif., to join the Grand Ronde Police Department. Nixwa, which is Chinuk wawa for “show me,” was certified by the National Police Canine Association and Or- egon Police Canine Association in 2014 for drug detection. During his career with the Trib- al Police Department, Nixwa was credited with sniffing out more than $29,000 worth of illicit drugs for various law enforcement agen- cies in the West Valley area. Nixwa was a male Belgian Mali- nois and was 4 years old. At the Wednesday, March 23, Trib- al Council meeting, Tribal Chairman Reyn Leno said that Tribal Council would not entertain any questions about the incident until a thorough investigation was completed. “Our main focus right now is on the well-being of those involved,” Leno said. “This is a tragic event and we are doing everything in our power to support our Tribal police family.” Includes information from the Lincoln City News Guard. Board seeking younger veterans Ceremonial Hunting Update The Tribal Veterans Special Event Board is attempting to recruit younger veterans – Iraqi and Afghanistan veterans – to join. “Our committee is getting older,” said Veterans SEB Chairman Steve Bobb Sr., who is a Vietnam War-era Marine Corps veteran. Members of the Special Event Board attend events as flag carriers and represent the Tribe, as well as their branch of service. Veterans interested in volunteering should contact Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Martin at 503-879-2304 or stacia.martin@gran- dronde.org. We currently have one vacancy for a board member on our commit- tee. We meet quarterly at Natural Resources on a Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. If anyone is interested, please contact Michele Volz at Natural Resources for an application. I would love to have a new member with fresh ideas and a commitment to improving our harvest rate. We have had two deer harvested thus far this year. In April, we will be able to hunt for elk and hopefully can increase our meat supply for Tribal use. Good luck to those of you who have tags and if anyone has questions, please call me, Marline Groshong, at 503-474-7000. free gardening course where Iskam Mek h Mek Haws 9675 Grand Ronde Rd. Taught indoors with possible visits to onsite garden Seed to Supper: Growing Veggies on a Budget Mondays how Registration is required. Contact Surabhi at 503-581-3855. Contact Francene Ambrose at 503- 879-3663 for more information. details Please plan to attend all 6 classes. Participants get a free gardening book, seeds, and other goodies! April 4th-May 9th 6-8 pm Learn low-cost ways to build healthy soil, plan your growing space, choose your crops, care for your growing garden, and harvest your bounty!
