Hey everybody,

       My name is Emory Randolph, and I’ve been an animal lover for as long as I can remember. In fact, I was the kid that took a puppy out of a box marked “Free to Good Home” and managed to convince my parents that she was a stray that followed me back to the house.  As I got older, mom and dad were sure that I would become a zoo keeper, or veterinarian. Imagine their surprise when I followed my older brother’s footsteps into a career in law enforcement!

      After eighteen years on the job, I had achieved almost every goal I’d set for myself, except for one. I never had the opportunity to become a dog handler. Then, in January of 2020, I caught wind of a program in Nebraska that allowed shelter dogs to join officers on patrol in order to increase their chances for adoption. It was absolutely crazy. It went against everything the public believed about police officers…and there was no reason we couldn’t bring an even better version of it to Georgia!  A couple of weeks later, the Tybee Island Police Department’s “K9 for a Day” partnership with the Humane Society for Greater Savannah was born. To say I was nervous about the success of the program is an understatement, but when the first five dogs were adopted almost immediately, I knew our friends and neighbors were on board!

       The sixth dog was different. When I walked in to the Humane Society that Thursday morning, the staff were waiting for me with a solid black German Shepherd named Rocky. They told me that this dog was special. So special, they said, that the police department was going to adopt him. I told them the Chief would never go for it. After promising that I’d do what I could, but insisting that they shouldn’t get their hopes up, Rocky and I set off on our adventure. Like most shelter dogs, Rocky was shy at first. As we drove towards the island with the windows down, I told him that I was going to do everything in my power to find him a loving home.  As we crossed the Bull River Bridge, Rocky’s eyes lit up and his nose took in deep whiffs of salt air. It was clear that there was something about the island atmosphere that felt like home.

        As we walked into the police department, Rocky suddenly bolted and ran ahead of me, disappearing around the corner into the break room and out of sight. A moment later, I could hear the Chief’s voice talking to this dog, and I just knew that I was about to get the butt chewing of a lifetime for allowing a dog to run free in the building. What I saw instead, was Chief sitting at the dinner table with Rocky in his lap, licking his face aggressively. That’s when Chief stopped laughing long enough to address me by saying, “Let me guess. You want us to adopt this dog?”. I assured him that wasn’t the case. It was the Humane Society that wanted us to adopt the dog. “Tell them it’s done. We want him”. I asked Chief if he was serious, to which he assured me he was. From that moment on, Rocky was an animal ambassador for the Tybee Island Police Department…and my best friend.

       Since then, Rocky and I have made appearances at animal adoption events, day camps, church services, nursing homes and Christmas parties. Every time we step out into public, you welcome us with love, support and open arms. Thank you for making us feel like an important part of the community and we look forward to seeing each and every one of you soon!