Newswise — ITHACA, N.Y. – Sabre, a rescued, happy-go-lucky black Labrador Retriever who served as Cornell University’s first police dog, died on Jan. 5, 2012 in Ithaca. Over an eight-year career that ended in 2008, the retriever kept venues safe for students, faculty and visiting dignitaries such as President Bill Clinton, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton and the Dalai Lama.
Sabre had been suffering for months from chronic infection, deteriorating health and lack of mobility. He was 12.
The Cornell Police Department obtained Sabre from the Tompkins County SPCA and paired him with Lt. Jeff Montesano, who was then an officer. Sabre, born Aug. 3, 1999, was subsequently socialized and groomed for law enforcement.
Sabre served Cornell Police between 2001 and 2008, when he retired from active service. In addition to working on the Cornell campus, the retriever was called into high schools, airports and other colleges around central New York and the Southern Tier.
For training, Sabre graduated from the Southern Tier Police Canine Association in Binghamton, where he underwent four weeks of intensive work. Sabre was able to detect at least 18 different explosives, and he often searched luggage, vehicles, lockers, packages and buildings. He was certified by New York State and by the Eastern Police K-9 Association.
Sabre ensured the safety of many visitors to Cornell, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, the Dali Lama, Martin Luther King III, actor Danny Glover; and musicians B.B. King, Gwen Stefani and No Doubt, the Stone Temple Pilots, Snoop Dogg and the Black Eyed Peas.
In 2005, a suspicious package with a timing device was found behind the Wal-Mart in Ithaca. Sabre was called in to sniff the package, which the police department bomb squad from Endicott, N.Y. later rendered safe.
Sabre’s nose was so sensitive, he could detect faint traces of gunpowder. At the inauguration of Cornell President David Skorton in 2006, Sabre checked the campus grounds. At the round stage on Cornell’s Arts Quad, Sabre indicated he found an “explosive.” As it turned out, there was no explosive. Carpenters building the stage had used a powder-actuated nail gun. The event went on without a hitch.
Sabre never met a thrown ball he didn’t like.
“Sabre was always happy-go-lucky, eager to please. He remained loyal until the end,” Montesano says. “If you had a ball it was going to be his one way or the other.
“Sabre was always ready to serve the Cornell Community. When I would get ready for work, he would see me getting dressed and then head right to the door and wait for me.”
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