By Kim McDarison
Sunday, March 13, marked the occasion of Wisconsin’s 8th Annual K-9 Veterans Day. Among those celebrated at the American Legion Banquet Center, Fort Atkinson, was the Kenosha County Sheriff Department’s K-9 team of handler Deputy Terry Tifft and his partner, a German Shepherd dog named “Riggs.”
The two gained much notice and appreciation last fall when — while apprehending a suspect who was alleged to have killed two people in Chicago — Riggs was shot in the forehead.
On Sunday, Riggs, who has made a full recovery and is back at work, received another round of appreciation, complete with a plaque and a “special cookie” provided by the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson and baked by Bon Ton Bakery in Jefferson.
After receiving his cookie, Riggs spent much of the 90-minute ceremony resting near the feet of two members of his family: Tifft and his wife, Gwen. The behavior was indicative of the multifaceted nature of the dog as described by Tifft, who said that when Riggs, who lives with Tifft’s family when off duty, is at home, he is like any other dog, but when it’s time to go to work, he embraces his training.
During an interview on Sunday, Tifft described working with his K-9 partner and the events of last Oct. 21, the day Riggs was shot.
Tifft said that while he has been a K-9 handler with the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department for 9 years, Riggs is not his first dog. During his first year as a K-9 handler, Tifft said, he worked with another dog, but, he noted, that dog “washed out” of the program.
“He wasn’t cut out for it,” Tifft said.
In 2014, he said, the department acquired Riggs from TOPS Kennels in Grayslake, Ill. The kennel provides police dogs throughout the Northern Illinois area as well as parts of Wisconsin.
Riggs said after the department acquires a dog, the K-9 team, handler and dog, complete an eight-week training course together and continue their training throughout the life of the team.
Describing the bond between a handler and his K-9, Tifft said: “It’s like nothing else.” He spends more time with his dog than his family, he said, adding that he is with his K-9 partner 24 hours a day.
The events of Oct. 21
On Oct. 21, 2021, Tifft said, Riggs was shot in the forehead.
Recalling the events of that Thursday, Tifft said his 6 a.m. shift began like any other.
“Our shift started with a burglary and then we went to a sheriff’s department meeting,” he said.
The meeting was held at the public safety building in the city of Kenosha. The territory in which Tifft and Riggs serve is in Kenosha County.
After the meeting, Tifft said, he and Riggs returned to their squad car and were preparing to return to their service area when Tifft received what he described as a report of a “ping” alerting him that a car that was connected with a suspected homicide had been discovered in Kenosha County.
As other deputies approached the scene, Tifft said, they reported that the vehicle was occupied by a single individual and its brake lights were flashing. Whether the vehicle was disabled, Tifft said, was unknown at the time.
Recalling his and Riggs’ location, Tifft said: “I was leaving the public safety building and reading my call notes. We were about 120 city blocks away from the scene.”
The K-9 team rushed to the scene to offer assistance, Tifft said.
Tifft said the suspect was a male named Allen Brown. News accounts at the time of the incident reported Brown as 33 years old.
As the K-9 team arrived, Tifft said, Brown exited the car and began to run. The deputies gave chase.
Said Tifft: “I yell for him to stop. He does, and I get in front and I see the suspect digging in his right pocket.”
It was then, Tifft said, that he released Riggs, who, true to his apprehension training, grabbed the suspect’s arm.
The two, Tifft said, “tumbled together and the suspect pulls out a gun and shoots Riggs point blank in the forehead.”
The rush for help
After Riggs was shot, Tifft said, he released the suspect who was then taken into custody.
Seeing the dog’s injury, Tifft said, “I grabbed Riggs and put him in the squad.”
Tifft said he rushed Riggs to the nearest veterinarian hospital: Harris Pet Hospital in Paddock Lake. The hospital was about three miles west of the location where the suspect was apprehended.
At the pet hospital, Riggs was stabilized.
Tifft said he had recently attended a meeting of the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Canine Handlers Association, where he learned that injured police and service dogs in need of medical help could be transported by ambulance.
For Riggs, the 45-minute ambulance ride came when he was transported from Harris Pet Hospital to a Level 1 trauma hospital for animals in Buffalo Grove, Ill.
He arrived at the hospital in the early afternoon, Tifft said, and stayed there to receive medical care for the next three days.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Tifft said, Riggs was stable.
“He never lost consciousness, but his head was swollen,” he added.
He also never needed surgery, Tifft said, describing the wound made by the bullet as it entered and exited Riggs’ body as “clean.”
A return to home and work
Upon his release from the hospital, Riggs was greeted by hundreds of well-wishers and grateful members of the public who arrived in a community park to welcome him home, Tifft said.
A video recording of the event was shared by Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson Treasurer Mabel Schumacher during the K-9 Veterans Day presentation made Sunday.
He was received into the recuperative care of his family, which includes the couple’s two children, Lucas, 12 and Ava, 11.
While Riggs recovered, Tifft recalled his daughter questioning the wisdom of allowing the K-9 hero to return to work.
She wasn’t the only one, he noted, adding that while he was recovering there was “talk” that maybe the 9-year-old pup should be retired.
It didn’t go that way, Tifft said. He described Riggs’ recovery as “miraculous,” adding that he could tell his partner wanted to return to work.
Riggs’ full recovery took four weeks, Tifft said, and Tifft returned to the job while his partner stayed home to rest.
When Tifft was at work, he said, Riggs would sit and wait by the door.
Before Riggs could return to active duty, Tifft said, he had to undergo testing.
“There was a neurological workup and a vet had to clear him,” Tifft said, adding that there was concern that he might be afraid of gunfire.
Riggs passed all the tests, Tifft noted, adding that he was still able to identify the source of drugs and track, and he was not afraid of gunfire.
A trained hero
Riggs is a multipurpose dog, trained in narcotic crime, apprehension, tracking, and building searches.
On the day Riggs was shot, Tifft said, “he saved my life. I do believe Riggs saved my life and the lives of the other three deputies that were there, and he prevented members of the public from being harmed by this guy.
“I had one dog before this. We trained and trained, but I didn’t have confidence in him. With Riggs, from the first day, I always had confidence in him. This was one of many incidents where he’s proven himself and saved me many times.”
Having Riggs as a partner has proven valuable to Tifft in many ways, he said.
Many times, having Riggs at a scene works to deescalate the situation. His presence is sometimes all that’s needed, Tifft added.
After the injury, Tifft said of Riggs: “He has not slowed down; he is ready.”
Now, recovered and back at work, Tifft added, for Riggs, it’s business as usual.
On Sunday, Riggs greeted the public and posed for photos. Placed on a display table were the medals he has received from his department, including the Silver Star, awarded for extraordinary heroism and bravery performed in the line of duty, and the Purple Heart, awarded to those in law enforcement who have been injured or killed in the line of duty.
Two photos above: Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson Treasurer Mabel Schumacher presents Kenosha County Sheriff Department K-9 team members handler Deputy Terry Tifft and his partner, “Riggs,” with a plaque in honor of their service. Riggs was shot in the line of duty last fall while the team worked to apprehend an alleged murder suspect. The team was among several honored Sunday during a ceremony and celebration held in Fort Atkinson in observance of K-9 Veterans Day, held annually on March 13. Kim McDarison photos.
Two photos above, at top, Mabel Schumacher shows Riggs a special cookie made in his honor by Bon Ton bakery in Jefferson. Above, Deputy Terry Tifft takes control of the job of returning both Riggs and his cookie to their seats. Kim McDarison photo.
Posing for photographs after the ceremony, State Sen. Steve Nass, from left, joins Deputy Terry Tifft, Riggs and Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson Treasurer Mabel Schumacher. The kennel club hosted the Wisconsin 8th Annual K-9 Veterans Day event at the American Legion Banquet Center in Fort Atkinson on Sunday. Kim McDarison photo.
Riggs is seated with family members Deputy Terry Tifft and his wife, Gwen. Kim McDarison photo.
A photo, as shared by Kenosha County Deputy Terry Tifft, shows Riggs receiving medical care after receiving a gunshot wound to the forehead on Oct. 21.
Tifft family members Lucas, from left, Terry, Gwen and Ava surround Riggs after his return from the hospital. Photo courtesy of the Tifft family.
Riggs displays his medals awarded by the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department, including the Silver Star, at left, awarded for extraordinary heroism and bravery performed in the line of duty, and the Purple Heart, awarded to those in law enforcement who have been injured or killed in the line of duty. Photo courtesy of the Tifft family.
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