NEWPORT BEACH : ‘Main Man’ Hondo Cuts Teeth on Crimes

Instead of merely fetching newspapers or chewing on shoes like other dogs, Hondo catches crooks, donates blood and makes front page news.

“He’s our main man,” said Newport Beach Police Sgt. Andy Gonis. “He has such a unique personality. When he’s out there, he really works hard.”

Hondo is only one of about 60 police dogs in Orange County, said his handler, Newport Beach canine officer Tom Voth.

Born, bred and trained in Germany, the canine cop is one of three German shepherds owned by the department and the only one cross-trained in narcotics detection, Voth said. During an interview, the 80-pound dog lay at Voth’s side and looked up every time his name was mentioned.

“He greets everybody,” said Voth, who houses Hondo in his yard in addition to working nine-hour shifts with the dog. “He always has to get the first handshake.”

Hondo may be nice, but he’s also a pro.

“What really makes him stand out from other police dogs is his discipline and how he can switch from friendly to pure business,” Voth said. “When Hondo gets aggressive, he gets respect.”

Hondo has bitten three crooks, including two fleeing car theft suspects and one bank burglar who wouldn’t give up, Voth said.

“If they don’t resist, that’s the end of it,” he said. “But in these cases, they were fighting with and hitting Hondo. Force was justified.”

Hondo has also made about 60 “finds,” in which the dog helps track people or narcotics that police have been unable to locate.

Voth said Hondo’s first find was right after he completed his basic training, when Voth and the dog were called to help locate a prisoner who had escaped from a van and fled, shoeless, into a botanical area of UC Irvine.

“We didn’t even know where to start,” said Voth of the search that included more than 30 police officers and a helicopter. Voth gave Hondo a wind scent command, a technique in which police dogs are instructed to search for human odor. After “scaring up a deer, a pheasant and a lot of skunks,” Hondo found the man, hiding in the muck.

“The (officers in the) helicopter couldn’t see him,” said Voth. “We would never have found him without Hondo.”

Most of Hondo’s heroics are less dramatic, such as protecting his master from harm and making arrests more safe.

“Psychologically, the dog gets more respect than a gun,” Voth said. “People think ‘you’re not going to shoot me but I don’t know (what) that dog (will do).’ ”

But recently, the unsung hero made a splash in local papers when he was in the hospital to have a benign tumor removed. Voth received word that another dog with lupus needed an emergency blood transfusion and the city gave permission for Hondo to donate.

“Doggone it, how many other dogs have donated blood?” said Gonis. “Hondo is great.”