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2015 Man of the Year: Timoshenko the Dog

Timoshenko the dog
Credit: Twitter
December 29, 2015

New York City police dog Timoshenko took a bite out of crime by single handedly breaking up a gun smuggling drug ring.

The patrol dog sniffed out two handguns hidden inside a 2009 Nissan Maxima after officers had found a Pringles can full of weed during a routine traffic stop in the Prospect-Lefferts Gardens section of New York City. The handguns were both loaded. Timoshenko's find led to the arrest of four suspects on drug and gun charges.

The police pup's heroic actions brought pride to the family of Detective Russel Timoshenko, who Timoshenko was named for after the officer was gunned down during a traffic stop in 2007. "I’m very proud of the dog for what he did," Russel's mother Tatyana Timoshenko told the New York Post. "For me, this is very special."

Tatyana said Timoshenko was named by his handler, Officer Benny Colecchia, as a way to make sure Russel's sacrifice isn't forgotten.

"Benny named the dog after my son, and he wanted to keep his memory around. So when something like [this] happens, my son’s name pops up again," she told the paper. "It keeps my son’s memory alive."

She said that the pup is well liked in at NYPD headquarters where she works. "Everybody loves him," Tatyana said.

The hero dog can be seen wearing a hat in support of America's wounded warriors here:

Published under: Men of the Year