Aero & Officer Mike

A true partnership is a rare thing. Yet for Corporal Mike Matsik and his K-9 partner, Aero, it seems second nature. They have been partners for four years, and to observe them on duty is to see the two working as one. Aero anticipates Mike’s every move and watches alertly for Mike’s every command. Mike seems to know what Aero is thinking by the mere angle of Aero’s ears or the look in Aero’s dark eyes. Aero’s incredible senses of smell and hearing, his speed and strength, his pure canine instincts extend and expand Mike’s abilities as a police officer. But when Aero is off duty, he can be as gentle and friendly as a family pet. Author Joan Plummer Russell spent two years on duty shifts with Corporal Matsik and Aero. What she observed both awed and inspired her. Together, text and pictures reveal not only the daily demands of the job, but also a deep friendship between man and dog that goes far beyond the police work to which they are both so dedicated.