BATAVIA, N.Y. — She's a very good girl who's training to sniff out the bad guys, find missing people, and be an ambassador for the New York State Police.
K9 Mecca is 13 weeks old and 20 pounds of pure energy. Her human partner, Trooper Frank Velletta, says despite her puppy tendencies, K9 Mecca is already showing signs that she's eager to work. Her nose and tail are always on overdrive.
"We start things real fun and real fast but real short. We have a person run away real quick. Not real far. Puppy tracks right to him, gets a treat, gets a reward. She loves it right now. She will howl and scream. She has that drive to do it," said Trooper Velletta.
K9 Mecca has a lot to learn, including how to get along with her big sister, K9 Paris, who's worked with Trooper Velletta for the past seven years.
"She likes to yip and play, and Paris is almost nine years old now. She likes to be calm and relaxed, so Mecca kind of annoys Paris a little bit. Outside they are best friends. They run around and play together. Paris actually helps Mecca learn how to track. Mecca will follow her and learn how to track with her," said Trooper Velletta.
K9 Mecca has to undergo a year of specialized training and become certified before she can become an official working police dog. Right now, K9 Paris is in charge of all of the important calls.
"[Paris and I] We've had several successful tracks here. Paris has three life-saving finds here in New York as well," said Trooper Velletta. "[For Mecca] it's hours and hours of training. Right now we are building a foundation. We're trying to build drive, so all that dog wants to do is track and trail and find the people."
As is tradition, Mecca is named for a fallen member of the department — Trooper Joseph Mecca, Jr. who died in 2020 as a result of 9/11-related cancer.
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