NYPD K-9s grace the pages of new calendar

By Diane C. Lore
Staten Island Advance

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — He's sweet, he's loving, but on the job he's all business.

K-9 Timoshenko, named after slain Staten Island Officer Russel Timoshenko, is featured as "Mr. January" in the newly-released 2017 NYPD K-9 Unit dog calendar.

"Timmy thinks it's no big deal that he's Mr. January," tweeted his partner, NYPD Detective Benny Colecchio of Pleasant Plains.

#ESU #K9 "Timmy" thinks it's no big deal that he's Mr. January, featured in the 2017 #NYPD K9 Calendar. Get it here https://t.co/JtdkkwNDa4 pic.twitter.com/rDKIDbB8Jh

— NYPD Special Ops (@NYPDSpecialops) January 1, 2017

Timoshenko has been helping to solve crimes as part of the K-9 unit for over five years.

Tatyana Timoshenko, mother of the slain officer, attended the promotion ceremony in September, where both Colecchio and K-9 Timoshenko, who is nicknamed Timmy, received a gold detective shield. Mrs. Timoshenko put a detective's shield on the canine's collar during the ceremony at 1 Police Plaza.

Russel Timoshenko was one of two officers shot during a routine traffic stop in Brooklyn in July 9, 2007. He died five days after the attack.

Members of the NYPD's K9 unit are the stars of the first-ever calendar published by the New York City Police Foundation, a nonprofit that raises money and conducts research on behalf of the NYPD.

In addition to "Timmy" as Mr. January, other dogs in the K-9 unit are pictured on the job, with tasks including sniffing for bombs and tracking down missing persons.

The police foundation is sending copies of the 13-month calendar, which runs through January 2018, to contributors who donate at least $20.

That money will "directly benefit new and ongoing NYPD programs and initiatives," according to the organization's website.
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(c)2017 Staten Island Advance, N.Y.

See whos on January's NYPD k9Calendar2017 K9Timoshenko was honored @CommissBratton @NYPDONeill @NYPDDCA @NYPDPaws https://t.co/aosg8T7yQb pic.twitter.com/1WJT2oyHbU

— Benny Colecchia (@k9timoshenko) January 1, 2017