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Community support to the MAX

Community support to the MAX

CCEC Operation Round Up assists in bringing new K-9 to Ransom County Sheriff’s Office

An 82-pound Belgian Malinois bounded through the grass of Baxter Park in Enderlin, North Dakota, chasing after his favorite yellow ball. The two-year-old was in play mode – until Ransom County Sheriff’s Deputy Jorge Gonzalez barked an order.

“Search!” Gonzalez commanded. The dog snapped into work mode, nose to the dirt as he sniffed for any object that didn’t belong. In moments, he found a switchblade tossed into the grass by Gonzalez minutes earlier. He sat in place, head held high, one ear at attention, the other adorably flopped to the side.

“Good boy, Max!” Gonzalez offered as he picked up the blade and released his K-9 partner.

This was just another round of practice for K-9 Max, who joined the law enforcement team in November 2024. Max is training to sniff out narcotics and recover evidence, and he’s gaining more skills (and patience) every time he patrols with Gonzalez. “It’s like shaking a BB in a plastic container. He is ready to go every time,” Gonzalez laughed. “And when he's ready to go, he knows what his job is.”

K9 Max with his uniform on
Kids who helped name Max

But for as much as K-9 Max is gaining from his handler, his handler is receiving something in return – healing.

In 2019, Gonzalez began working with his first K-9 unit since starting his role in Ransom County, a two-year-old yellow lab named Jake. The two became a popular pair in the communities served by the sheriff’s office, and Jake became an integral part of the Gonzalez family. Even though Jake was young, active and beloved by all, his cancer diagnosis was indiscriminate.

“When K-9 Jake passed away on October 2, 2023, it was…” Gonzalez said, pausing. “You ask any K-9 handler, and it’s a tremendous impact, because they live with us 24/7. It’s a part of our family.”

The Gonzalezes and the Ransom County Sheriff’s Office mourned the loss of K-9 Jake, as did those who had experienced the joy of seeing the duo work together. After a certain amount of time, Gonzalez was approached by Mike Martin, the secretary of the Enderlin Lions Club. Martin asked the sheriff’s deputy when he would be getting a new dog.

“I told him, well, I’m kind of still grieving Jake,” Gonzalez recalled. “And he said, ‘A part of the healing process is to get another dog.’”

K9 Max with his yellow ball and handler Jorge

‘A community program’

With the blessing of the sheriff’s office, the Enderlin Lions Club got to work, spearheading an effort to raise funds for a new K-9 unit. The campaign kicked off with a community pancake feed that brought in $1,300. From there, the Lions Club wrote grants and fielded donations from the Enderlin Community Foundation, Enderlin VFW, Enderlin Alumni Association and individuals, both local and out of state. However, the largest gift came from Cass County Electric Cooperative’s (CCEC) Operation Round Up (ORU) program, which granted $8,500. In total, the Lions Club gathered more than $16,000 to help Gonzalez find a new partner.

“One of our mottos is ‘People serving people, people helping people.’ So, this is what we do. And the reason it was as successful as it was – it was an endorsement of Jorge,” Martin said. “Jorge is very popular. Affable, I think is the word. And he cares.”

CCEC Human Resources Manager Theresa Halverson, who also serves as ORU program coordinator, had a seat in the room when Sheriff’s Deputy Gonzalez presented his story to the volunteer ORU board. The board meets quarterly to discuss how to allocate, through a grant application process, money donated by the membership by “rounding up” their bills to the nearest dollar.

“There are so many things as far as criteria that the board looks at when they're making those selections. The biggest concern is how much of the community would benefit,” Halverson said. “In this particular incident, the story that they brought was just so touching. I don't know that there was a dry eye in the room.”

With the funding for a new K-9 secured, Gonzalez needed one last thing – a name for his new sidekick. “Everybody had a suggestion. That was fantastic, because that alone showed the community engagement,” he said. Ultimately, the sheriff’s office decided to hold a coloring contest for area students in which they could pitch names. They received more than 200 entries, and one name kept popping up – Max. 

“The community has been outstandingly, overwhelmingly fantastic about the K-9 program,” Gonzalez said. He noted that it is, and has always been, “a community program,” and K-9 Max is a perfect encapsulation of his community: strong, driven and ready to serve.

“He's upped my game quite a bit,” Gonzalez said with a warm smile. “He's demanding the best of me, so I'm giving him my best to give the best to the community.”

 

For more information on CCEC's Operation Round Up Program click here.