“HE
DIED PROTECTING HIS FAMILY”
When an armed robber confronted the woman and her grandson in their rural home,
the German Shepherd named Chase began to make his move to protect the family.
Unfortunately, the masked intruder suddenly turned the rifle toward the dog and
fired. Chase, a 2-year-old Police K9 and family companion, died of a gunshot
wound to the head.
"He was a special dog," said Robert Austin, who was robbed at gunpoint
that night. "It could have been one of us who were shot and killed. He gave
his life. He did a very honorable thing."
On Sunday night around 8:30 p.m.,
Michael had just finished grooming Chase when they came back inside. The
teenager noticed something was wrong with his room. Within seconds, an armed
masked gunman was in the hallway and confronted Michael and his grandmother
Susan ordering them to get down on the floor. Chase was about two feet away.
"The guy stepped right out of the room and stuck a gun in their face,"
Mr. Austin said. "He then turned the gun and shot Chase." Mr. Austin was in the next room and heard the gunshot and
screaming. As the family members fled, the gunman, whose face was covered in a
black ski mask, chased after Mr. Austin, allegedly because he wanted his cancer
medication. The 61-year-old former law enforcement officer and dog trainer said
he fell outside the home and was confronted by the intruder who pointed the
rifle at his head. The robber, he said, demanded cash and the location of his
Oxycodone, a pain medication that is commonly used as a street drug.
"When you have a gun pointed at your head, they can have every damn
thing they want," Mr. Austin said. "When
he asked for my medication, I knew who it was," he said. "He knew I
had prescription drugs here. He was prepared." The suspect fled the same
way he came in: through Michael's bedroom window. Within hours, the armed
intruder and the alleged getaway driver, an 18-year-old male of Monroe, were in
jail.
The horrific incident has traumatized Mr. Austin's grandson, Michael, 14, who
witnessed his dog being shot. For Mr. Austin, the robbery reinforces his belief
that drugs are the No. 1 reason for criminal activity in this country. Even a
family living on a dirt road in rural Summerfield Township is not immune.
"There needs to be some help for parents to recognize if their kids are
doing drugs," he said, sitting in an office of his Stull Rd. home."
The family runs a dog-training business called World K-9, Inc. and has kennels
on their 15-acre facility. Since 1962, Mr. Austin has been training dogs to
search for drugs in criminal cases and at work places.
The armed intruder worked at the
training facility doing odd jobs about 1˝ years ago.
Mr. Austin, who suffers from bladder cancer, discovered his drugs missing
one day and fired the young man. Mr. Austin said the defendant knows he has dogs
on the premises and that he was a deputy in Ohio. He said the suspect knew that
I own weapons for protection. "It
doesn't make a lot of sense to me unless he's in dire need of drugs," Mr.
Austin said. "I know what those drugs can do to people. I've seen it.
Nothing surprises me."
Mr. Austin said he is most concerned about his grandson, who has struggled since
the bloody and shocking incident. But he also is proud of his dog, Chase, who
did what he was trained to do. Mr. Austin said he believes that Chase died
saving the family.
"Chase gave his life," Mr. Austin said. "Chase didn't have a
chance."
The Guardians Of The Night
Trust in me my friend, for I am your comrade.
I will protect you with my last breath
When all others have left you
And the loneliness of night closes in,
I will be at your side.
Together we will conquer all obstacles,
And search out those who wish to do harm to others.
All I ask of you is compassion,
And the caring touch of your hands.
It is for you that I will unselfishly give my life
And spend my nights unrested.
Although our days together
May be marked by the passing of the seasons
Know that each day by your side is my reward.
My days are measured by
The coming and going of your footsteps.
I anticipate them at every opening of the door.
You are the voice of caring when I am ill,
The voice of authority when I have done wrong.
Do not chastise me unduly,
For I am your right arm,
The sword at your side.
I attempt to do only what you bid of me.
I seek only to please you and remain in your favor.
Together you and I shall experience
A bond only others like us will understand.
When outsiders see us together,
Their envy will be measured by their disdain.
I will quietly listen to you
And pass no judgement,
Nor will your spoken words be repeated.
I will remain ever silent,
ever vigilant, ever loyal.
And when our time together is done
And you move on in the world
Remember me with kind thoughts and tales,
For a time we were unbeatable,
Nothing passed among us undetected
If we should meet again on another street
I will gladly take up your fight,
I am a Police Working Dog
We are the guardians of the night.
World
K9 Inc. appreciates the support of WDIV 
NBC 4 Detroit for allowing us to
use news footage
Click on link below
The November night when the masked intruder broke into his family's Summerfield Township home and shot his dog to death still haunts 14-year-old Michael Austin.
On Thursday in court, the teenager told a judge that he clearly remembers all the blood in the hallway of the family home and how he was there when his dog, Chase, died of a gunshot wound to the head.
"I still have nightmares," Michael told Monroe County Circuit Judge Joseph A. Costello Jr. "I watched him die. He was a friend."
For robbing and terrorizing the family, Matthew Klocek-Branham, 22, of 1772 Magnolia St. will spend the next 15 to 30 years in prison. After pleading guilty to armed robbery and first-degree home invasion last month, Mr. Klocek-Branham was sentenced on Thursday.
The three victims Michael and his parents - spoke before the judge sentenced the defendant, who stood before them shackled and wearing a striped jail uniform.
Robert Austin told the judge that he hired Mr. Klocek-Branham to work at his home that also is a dog-training facility. He said he wanted to try to help the struggling young man. Instead, he broke into his house, shot his dog and robbed him a gunpoint.
"Matt had me on the ground with the gun a couple of inches from my head," Mr. Austin told the court. "He told me if I moved he would kill me. I am asking the court to show no mercy."
His wife, Susan, also asked the judge to be strict in sentencing the defendant. She said she and her son were terrorized by the incident and she was astounded that the defendant showed no remorse during the subsequent court proceedings.
Mrs. Austin said she still can hear her mortally wounded dog's wails - what she called his death cries.
"Chase gave his life for us," Mrs. Austin told the judge. "Matt could have inflicted fatal harm to me or members of my family. I am thankful that Chase was there."
It was Nov. 25, a Sunday night, when Mr. Klocek-Branham broke into the Austin home on Stull Rd. in rural Summerfield Township. When he pointed the rifle at family members in the hallway, Chase moved to protect them. He was shot in the head with a .22-caliber rifle.
The intruder ran after Mr. Austin, who suffers from cancer, and caught up to him. The robber pointed a gun at his head and demanded his medication and money. He then fled.
Detectives with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office arrested the defendant and another young man shortly after the incident. Mr.
Klocek-Branham's accomplice was 18-year-old Alex Bellair-Casto of 228 Michigan Ave.
.Although
he was identified as the getaway driver and was not in the house during the
robbery, Mr. Bellair-Casto remains in jail on charges of armed robbery, home
invasion and cruelty to animals. His next court date is May 23. Defense
attorney Marc Hart asked the judge for leniency, but Monroe County Assistant
Prosecutor Amara M. Hunter argued that the incident warranted the maximum
penalty under state sentencing guidelines. Mr. Klocek-Branham did
apologize to the victims and said he is hoping he can emerge from prison a
changed man. But when he said he wasn't a violent man, the judge questioned that
statement. "Mr. Branham, you're saying you're not a violent
person?" Judge Costello said. "How can you say that?" In
addition to the time he must serve, the defendant must undergo counseling and
pay more than $12,000 in restitution. He also must not contact the victim and
was ordered to never own or possess an animal