Super-Duo visit the Museum!

People and dogs have had a close association for thousands of years. They provide companionship, affection, and protection for their owners. Dogs have a variety of different titles; companions, playmates, and even partners working together. “Dog’s are a man’s best friend” is a saying that tends to be used a great deal, and for Officer O’Connell of the Environmental Police K-9 Unit, this statement is completely accurate.

For the last five years, Officer O’Connell has been involved with the Environmental K-9 Unit and has had the privilege of working with his best friend and partner, Diesel, a six year old Black Labrador. The super duo has been in action for the last six years since Diesel was born. As of five years ago, the two became partners in crime and are still to this day a fearsome crime fighting pair.Officer O’Connell started his career as a Police Officer for the town of Oakham, Massachusetts and gradually made his way up to working for the Federal Government Department of Defense. O’Connell had the desire to be an environmental police enforcer for many years. Being in the Coast Guard for twelve years in the K-9 unit, much of the obligations, responsibilities and tasks as a Coast Guard mirror the same duties as an environmental enforcer. Since becoming an Environmental Police Officer in the K-9 unit, a typical day on the job for O’Connell and Diesel could be a variety of different things such as boat patrols on the Boston Harbor, forest and state park patrols, or even a deployment for a missing person.

O’Connell and his furry friend and partner Diesel have teamed up with MA Vest-A-Dog, which is an organization dedicated to dogs involved in K-9 units to help provide bulletproof vests, important equipment, training, and the purchasing of dogs for law enforcement K-9 programs around the state of Massachusetts. Officer O’Connell and Diesel paid a visit to The Children’s Museum in Easton to demonstrate Diesels skills in the unit as well as talk about duties, important facts, and information about MA Vest-A-Dog program. Diesel showed off his special tricks and demonstrated his important role in the Environmental Police force.

Not only does Officer O’Connell have the remarkable Diesel, he is also the proud owner of a 10 month old black Labrador named Grizzly, who just so happens to be Diesel’s son. Grizzly is currently undergoing training to be in the E.O.D (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) K-9 unit and soon, like Diesel, will become a next generation “super-dog”.


Written by Sean Gearin - Public Relations Intern at The Children's Museum in Easton