EASTON — Cpl. Joseph Schinault still remembers the first time his K-9 partner Murph tracked down a suspect.
The Belgian malinois and German shepherd mix located a residence in the Doverbrook Apartments an unarmed robbery suspect ran to with stolen items. It was the dog’s first tracking mission and far from his last.
Starting in 2018, Murph served as an integral part of vehicle searches and the Easton Police Department’s crisis response unit.
But Maryland’s legalization of recreational cannabis use put an end to Murph’s career in 2024, Schinault said. Two other Easton K-9s trained to detect marijuana also retired.
“It was a huge hit to our unit,” Schinault said.
The police department is filling its K-9 spots with a new guard of police dogs. Meanwhile, Schinault has moved up the ranks and is no longer a K-9 handler. But he still looks fondly on his time working alongside Murph.
“It is truly an honor to work with them,” Schinault said of the skilled dogs.
Murph, 7, still lives with Schinault and his family. He’s become the “best of friends” with Schinault’s son, who is just six months younger than Murph.
Schinault said it took a while for Murph to adapt to staying home instead of jumping in the police car when it started. “He lives to have a purpose,” Schinault said.
Schinault’s younger brother and fellow Easton police officer, Mark, is the handler of one of Easton’s new K-9s, Knox. Joseph Schinault says it’s amazing what K-9s can do, emphasizing the importance of police dogs in solving crime.
“Who’s to say we (would’ve) ever solved that?” he said of Murph’s first tracking.
For the Easton police officer, having a partner like Murph was a source of daily motivation.
“There’s not a day that you bring a K-9 to work that they don’t want to work,” Schinault said.
