A dog named Koontz: Service K-9 provides comfort to fallen deputy's family

April 06--KOKOMO -- It's unlikely the name Carl Koontz will ever be forgotten in Howard County. And with the help of a young Labrador Retriever and a generous donation, the name has been given a whole new meaning.

The newest Koontz -- a full-blooded Lab born on July 27 currently training at the Pendleton Correctional Facility as a service dog -- has already developed a deep connection with Koontz's widow, Kassandra Koontz, and young son, Noah Koontz, and is set to do much more.

But first, Koontz has been given the responsibility of carrying forth the name of a local hero and comforting a family still saddled with grief -- appearing at events like a March 20 balloon release event at Albright Cemetery in honor of the one-year anniversary of Carl Koontz's death.

Koontz, the dog, is part of the Indiana Canine Assistant Network, a group that trains and places working, or service, dogs with children and adults living with a disability. Many of the dogs are named by sponsors in memory of a lost family member or friend.

Throughout four levels and roughly two years of training, the dogs are each placed inside Indiana correctional facilities, where they are expected to provide life and job skills to the inmates who train them.

At the balloon-release and in a later interview, Denise 'Dino' Sierp, the director of development and outreach for ICAN, told the story of Koontz and how he has already touched the lives of those most affected by the death.

As Sierp explained, the organization was given a $5,000 to $26,000 donation -- she did not disclose the exact amount, but said it costs $26,000 to train an ICAN dog -- by a donor who wanted to honor Carl Koontz by naming a dog after the Howard County sheriff's deputy.

The idea wasn't a new one for ICAN officials. Previously, an ICAN dog was named after fallen Indiana Metropolitan Police Department officer Perry Renn, who was shot and killed in the line of duty in 2014.

The dog, a Golden Retriever-Labrador mix, played a major role in the grieving process for Renn's widow, Lynn Renn, in the months after her husband's death, noted Sierp. It's a process that's since become familiar for the Koontz family. (Renn now services a previously wheelchair-bound woman learning to walk again.)

After Koontz was chosen as the dog to carry on Carl Koontz's name, Sierp said she decided to give Kassandra Koontz some space before scheduling a meeting between the Koontz family and the then-puppy.

But by last fall, Kassandra Koontz was ready to meet Koontz, and a face-to-snout meeting was scheduled for November.

It was a moment Sierp expects will never be forgotten by those in attendance.

"It was emotional. They're in the middle of mourning and grief work, and this spirited, loving little puppy just comes waddling into a room and licks Noah, knocks him down because he was licking him so hard," she said.

"What better way to name somebody after someone, to honor them with a dog that in their spirit can bring so many things to not just this person who needs to heal, but to the public, to the community...What a great moment for her, to know that his legacy will continue in that way. It was very emotional, it really was."

Since then, Koontz and the Koontz family have become quick friends. Alongside Lynn Renn, Kassandra Koontz even helped deliver holiday boxes for the Indianapolis-based ICAN during the holiday season, said Sierp.

And while Koontz will eventually go on to service another person or family once his training is done, he has so far provided a service for the Koontz family during the toughest year of their lives.

That fact was readily apparent last month at the balloon-release ceremony, said Sierp, noting that "having Koontz there meant the world to [Kassandra]."

As soon as Kassandra Koontz saw Koontz, recounted Sierp, she began to call his name and was immediately met by a "bundle of joy" leaping in her arms.

"To see that joy, the connection is there. And that says a lot about the dog," said Sierp, noting that Koontz could go on to service in any number of areas, including as a rehab dog, in-home therapy, balance-assistance or something different.

"The dog is connected to her; he knows there is a purpose there for him."

But more than anything, Koontz will carry on the memories and legacy of Carl Koontz, supplying an entire community and a new group of people with a story to tell.

"When he goes out in the community, he's telling the story about being named in memory of someone who was very important, not only to his loved ones but to the community," she said. "So, through that and through family members, people like Kassie, he does help with her grief work.

"It's a healing process to get through that. It can't happen overnight. It takes a long time to grieve the loss of somebody, but with him in her life, like it did with Lynn, it's just a sense of someone carrying on their loved one's name, and that's what he's doing."

George Myers can be reached at 765-454-8585, by email at george.myers@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter @gpmyerskt.

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