LOWVILLE — Lewis County’s new police dog has officially joined the force this week.

“I didn’t expect to have a canine unit in service this quickly,” said Undersheriff James M. Monnat, who was a dog handler for 21 years at the Lowville Police Department. “It materialized very quickly.”

Wyman, a 14-month-old German shepherd imported from Czechoslovakia, went on duty Monday after a few months of training in both drug detection and patrol and tracking.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” said the dog’s handler, Deputy Daryl R. Ortlieb. “Hard work, but fun. Well worth it in the end.”

The dog was named for Oneida County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Kurt Wyman, who was killed in an armed standoff in June 2011

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