Coos Bay community rallies 'round Rex.

Byline: LARRY BACON The Register-Guard

COOS BAY - Rex has shown no signs of wanting to run for mayor yet, but if he did he would be tough to beat.

He has a solid record of public service, an amazing level of citizen support, and good looks, too.

Those big brown eyes and that tongue-lolling grin just melt your heart. All he really asks in return for what he does is a pat on the head and a "good dog." And maybe a chance to play with his favorite rubber chew toy.

Rex, as most people around this coastal community know, is the Coos Bay Police Department's K9. That's what the cops call a police dog trained to track down bad guys.

In his 2 1/2 years working with officer Rob Scoville, the German shepherd has developed quite a reputation by capturing 43 suspects - including two accused of murder.

But nobody realized how popular Rex is until he was injured, and police started talking about a 50-50 chance that he wouldn't be able to return to work. He had surgery Jan. 23 to remove a painful bone spur from the elbow in his right front leg, and Scoville said the public response to Rex's problems has been incredible.

The Beaverton specialist who did the work said the procedure went better than expected and the chances are good that Rex will heal and be back on the job after several weeks of recovery and rehabilitation.

"It's not 100 percent, but I'm personally confident," said a relieved Scoville, who said his four 12-hour shifts each week are empty and strangely eerie without Rex.

No one is sure what caused the injury, but the piece of bone apparently broke loose during a training exercise in October. It's a serious condition, Scoville said, that can cause tendon damage and permanent disability.

The recovery plan calls for four weeks of rest in which Rex spends most of his time in a crate to discourage him from putting weight on his leg. Then the veterinarian will evaluate the dog's progress and probably start Rex on a rehabilitation program to rebuild his strength.

Now, Rex limps a little if he walks very far. Always lean, he looks like he has lost some weight. And the fact that his whole right front quarter was shaved for the surgery makes him look even thinner.

The surgery cost about $2,500. Follow-up care plus some related local veterinary bills are likely to push the cost to around $3,000.

The police department doesn't have that kind of money for its K9 members. Sgt. Kevin Hedgepeth, K9 team supervisor, said about $1,400 remains for veterinary care and food for Rex and Cutter, a drug-sniffing dog, and that has to last until July 1.

So Hedgepeth put out a couple of press releases detailing Rex's problems and soliciting donations to help pay for the surgery. To date, about $5,000 has come in and more is expected.

Hedgepeth and Scoville said the public response was beyond what they could ever have hoped for.

"People love Rex," Scoville said. "I had a young girl who was about 7 years old come in with her pennies she was saving for Disneyland because she remembered Rex from Safety Town and loved him."

"Safety Town" is a program sponsored by the Coos Bay and North Bend police departments to provide basic personal safety training for pre-kindergarten children. Scoville uses Rex as a visual aid to help children recognize the difference between a friendly dog and one that might bite.

Rex and Scoville also visit schools throughout the community to generate goodwill for the police, tell about the work Rex does, and help dispel the myth that police dogs are mean.

Most of the time, Scoville said, Rex is a lovable and affectionate animal who thrives on hugs and pats.

In fact, tracking down bad guys is nothing but a fun game for him, he said, noting that the dog is trained to attack only in certain situations.

Rex is trained to take down anyone who attacks him or Scoville. He also attacks on Scoville's command. That command, used after a warning, is usually given if a suspect is fleeing or acting in a threatening manner. Rex is trained to grab the person and hold him rather than to inflict injury, Scoville said.

After word got out about Rex's injury, about 100 letters were received, not only from the Coos Bay-North Bend area but also from throughout the state and as far away as Walla Walla, Wash. Many of the mailings contained personal letters to Rex; most contained small donations. All will get a reply, Hedgepeth said.

He said money beyond what is needed for Rex's medical care will go into the department's K9 fund and perhaps be seed money for acquiring a couple more dogs like Rex. The dogs don't come cheap - Rex cost the department about $15,000.

That included his purchase from a breeder in Czechoslovakia who is well-known for providing German shepherds for police and military work. It also included a six-month training program for Rex in Virginia, followed by two weeks there working in tandem with Scoville.

It may seem like a lot of money for a dog, but Hedgepeth and Scoville said Rex has been worth it. K9s can do searches quicker and more effectively than human officers, they said, plus spare them exposure to possible dangers.

Take for example a huge warehouse in which the door has been forced open. "You go in (without a dog) and have to search every square inch and it takes forever," Scoville said.

If someone is inside, the officer said, Rex could probably find him in five minutes.

Rex is trained to find a fresh human scent and follow it. And a fleeing suspect makes it easier for the dog to find, Hedgepeth said, because that person's adrenaline is usually pumping and causing the body to emit smells not normally present - what trackers call the "fear scent."

Scoville said Rex has already been missed on cases in which his skills would have made police work much easier.

Other departments miss him, too - Coos Bay's K9 team is often loaned to neighboring police agencies. With Rex sidelined, North Bend has the only active police tracking dog in Coos County.

The Coos Bay Police Department has been using dogs like Rex since 1975. The department had a second dog, another German shepherd named Caesar, until last November, when the animal was retired because of biting problems.

A small marker sits in front of City Hall, under which is buried Hero, a police dog shot and killed by a fleeing suspect in 1985.

Rex has been more fortunate. Even with 43 captures, Scoville said, no one has ever tried to harm him.

CAPTION(S):

THOMAS BOYD / The Register-Guard Coos Bay police officer Rob Scoville says his shifts are lonely without Rex, who is recovering from surgery to remove a bone spur. The K9 is expected to return to work.