Kane County retires honored K-9

A six-year veteran of the Kane County Sheriff's Office retired with honors Thursday, much to the dismay of his fellow deputies.

Mato Vom Loegrund, a 7-year-old German shepherd, retired because he has a bad disc in his back and a growth on a bone in his right front foot. Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez presented Mato and his handler, Deputy Ron Hain, with a plaque during a retirement ceremony in the sheriff's office lobby.

Perez said Mato and Hain were responsible for numerous "outstanding drug tracks," including one that netted 660 pounds of marijuana from a motor home in Aurora. Mato and Hain also assisted several departments during their years together, including the DuPage County Sheriff's Office and St. Charles, Batavia, Geneva, Aurora, Sugar Grove, Yorkville, Elburn, West Chicago and Wheaton police, according to Kane County Sheriff Lt. Pat Gengler.

Mato also worked with the Illinois State Police, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to information provided by the sheriff's office.

Hain said working with Mato -- which translates to "Matt" in German -- has been one of the highlights of his career.

"The most enjoyable thing I've ever done is handle a K-9 dog," he told a group of fellow K-9 handlers from his own department, Oswego, St. Charles and Kendall County.

Hain said that while at times being a K-9 handler has been frustrating, the job also has been one of the most enjoyable he's had with the sheriff's office.

"Within a couple of years, you (and your dog) come to be on the same wave length," Hain said. "You become very connected."

Before his retirement, Mato went home with Hain after each shift. Mato will continue to live with Hain and his family.

Gengler said Mato will be replaced with two new dogs, which start training next week. Training lasts about four weeks, so the new dogs should be on the street by Christmas, Gengler said.

The sheriff's office has been under close scrutiny for its spending, but Gengler said the training for the two new dogs is being paid for with federal grant money. The dogs go through constant training and certification, Gengler said.

"So when the deputies go to court, they can testify exactly as to what the dog did, and that all falls back on their training," Gengler said.

Although the dogs are trained in drug and bomb detection, they also are trained to help track down suspects or missing people. In 2008, Mato and Hain tracked down one of three men who shot in the direction of and struck a 4-year-old girl in Aurora.

"It's great to have these dogs, not just for drug and bomb detection, but to help prevent catastrophe," Gengler said.