Rutland City Police name new K9 after public vote

RUTLAND, Vt. (NEWS10) — The Rutland City Police Department has named its new K9 “King Nash.” The name was chosen after the community voted on potential names for the new police dog.

“We want to thank our community for helping us name our newest four-pawed officer,” the department said in an online statement. Some of the honorable mentions for the dog’s name included K9 Strawberry, K9 Hardknees, K9 Water Bottle, K9 Doggy McDogface, K9 Dirt, and Sir Sniffsalot.

K9 King Nash comes to Rutland Police from Shallow Creek Kennels in Pennsylvania. He is a 16-month-old German Shepherd from the Czech Republic.

The new police dog’s handler is Officer James Rajda, who has served with Rutland City Police since 2018. A spokesperson for the department said the team will start training next week to learn narcotics detection.

“The Rutland City Police canines have all been given the first name of ‘King’ in honor of Teresa King, and Nash is carrying on with that tradition,” the police department said in an online statement.