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!