Credit: Bristol Township
A Bristol Township Police Department dog is stepping back from his duties with the law enforcement agency.
K-9 Axel served the department for seven and a half years.
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Axel was originally paired with Officer David Weiser in spring 2016 before being partnered with his current handler Cpl. Josh Bausch in August 2018.
Throughout his career, Axel obtained certifications through Philadelphia Police Department K-9 Academy for both patrol and narcotics work and the New Jersey State Police K-9 Academy. The dog served on the SWAT team and was also certified by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, which led to him being used throughout the county, Lt. Mark Titus said.
Axel’s accomplishments included helping Pennsylvania State Police troopers find over 450 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop, locating over 3 pounds of methamphetamine and $17,000 during a search warrant execution, and assisting with the seizure of approximately $16,000 during a car stop by township officers.
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The retiring K-9 also conducted area searches, including one where he located and apprehended the driver of a stolen vehicle who had crashed and attempted to flee on foot. He located a burglary suspect hiding underneath a couch during a residence search.
“Axel always did his part to make it look like Josh knew what he was doing,” Titus said, drawing laughs.
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Axel was selected for the 2024 through 2025 K-9 Law Enforcement Award presented by the John Billington VFW Post 6495 in Bristol Township.
Axel will continue living with his handler and his family during his retirement.
In addition, John Billington VFW Post 6495 and its auxiliary presented a $5,000 check to the Bristol Township Police Department’s dog unit at last week’s council meeting.
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The donation represents the first contribution to the newly established Bristol Township K-9 Foundation, a nonprofit organization created to help offset costs and expand training opportunities for the department’s working dogs.
The funds were raised through a lottery conducted by the VFW post and auxiliary.
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“This will be the first check going into that nonprofit that has helped to offset the cost that the department and the township would have to pay for the unit,” Bausch said.
The VFW auxiliary was able to raise the full $5,000 amount thanks to several people who donated their lottery winnings back to the cause, a representative of the group said, adding State Rep. Tina Davis was among those who donated back winnings.
