outdoors

Born in the Czech Republic, Saber is one of two four-legged conservation officers who will patrol Minnesota lakes and rivers this weekend when the walleye and northern pike fishing season opens.

A good swimmer, Saber nevertheless will be in a boat -- making sure anglers mind their manners.

Saber is a 5-year-old German shepherd who loves attention and welcomes pats on his head. He's the partner of Department of Natural Resources conservation officer Todd Kanieski, 35.

Saber doesn't have a lot of experience sniffing out methamphetamines or marijuana.

But if you stash an extra walleye in the weeds or kill a deer out of season, he'll track down the evidence in a heartbeat.

"When we were in training with other, more typical law-enforcement dogs, they would practice finding drugs, while Saber would search for ducks, geese and other game," Kanieski said.

A former Brooklyn Park police officer who sought a career in law enforcement "since the first grade," Kanieski was among a small group of conservation officers who about five years ago sought expansion of enforcement dog use by the DNR.

Funding was a problem until Gander Mountain stepped up with $6,000 to buy Saber. A similar amount was contributed by the North Country Bowhunters Chapter of Safari Club to purchase Hunter, the partner of DNR conservation officer Travis Muyres.

Both dogs were imported at about 14 months of age. They had no training at that point. But they had been tested for health deficiencies, and their drive, or determination, had been measured.

"We need dogs with excellent temperaments; real social, stable dogs," Kanieski said. "But they also must have the drive to track."

Kanieski and Saber completed 10 weeks of training with the Brooklyn Park K-9 unit, while Muyres and Hunter studied with the St. Paul Police Department. Obedience was stressed, as was agility, article search (finding items that suspects have touched), apprehension, bite work and tracking.

Fish and wildlife enforcement dogs can run down and latch onto, or bite, a suspect's arm -- just like dogs in more typical law enforcement work. They also can defend their human handlers.

"I was in a situation once where I could have called Saber to help me, because the suspect was fighting me as I put handcuffs on him," Kanieski said. "In that case, Saber was ready to help. But the guy was drunk and I knew he wasn't dangerous to me. So I gave Saber a hard, 'No!' and he stayed a few feet from us, watching."

Kanieski patrols the Mississippi River north of the Twin Cities, and often checks shore anglers for licenses and possible misdeeds. Seeing Kanieski approach in his boat, some anglers -- apparently with something to hide -- have run.

Briefly.

"Once they see Saber, I can assure you they reconsider running," Kanieski said. "Typically I give a K-9 warning, saying that if the suspect doesn't stop I may release the dog. At that point Saber will begin barking. One time a guy ran out of the woods faster than he ran in."

Last fall, Saber and Kanieski were called to help investigate whether a deer had been illegally poached in Lake Maria State Park. Another conservation officer had a suspect, but couldn't find a deer or other evidence linking him to hunting in the park, which is illegal.

"Saber tracked the guy's scent to a gut pile, then tracked a blood trail to a rather large deer hidden under brush," Kanieski said.

Not bad for a partner who seeks little in return for his work.

A dog lover since he was a kid, Kanieski is living a dream. His home district is the northwest metro, but he's often called to other parts of the state. Saber almost always accompanies him, and he rarely disappoints.

"It's phenomenal to see the capabilities of a police dog," he said. "It's almost unbelievable that he can pick up a track by walking around a guy's car, then follow that track to the hunter or angler to see what he's doing."

Dennis Anderson • danderson@startribune.com

THE WEATHER REPORT

North: High 50, low 30.

Overcast, 20 percent chance of rain.

Light winds.

South: High 56, low 38.

Overcast, 50 percent chance of rain.

Light winds.