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Baltimore City Police Officer Dan Waskiewicz will be honored on Wednesday, Aug. 1, by the Baltimore Humane Society for compassionate service.  Officer Waskiewicz, a recent cadet graduate, quickly became an internet folk hero following a police call for a vicious dog.  Acting with a cool head and calm judgment, the so-called “vicious” dog ended up as Officer Waskiewicz’s new best friend.

“Because of Officer Waskiewicz’s astute response, he saved the life of an innocent animal and avoided what could have been a situation with a tragic ending,” said Baltimore Humane Society Executive Director, Jen Swanson.  “The Baltimore Humane Society would like to acknowledge and award this wonderful police officer for his compassionate service.”

The ceremony will take place at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Adoption Center at the Baltimore Humane Society at 1601 Nicodemus  Road in Reisterstown.  The public is invited.

When Officer Waskiewicz received a call for a vicious dog in south Baltimore, he arrived at the scene and saw a pitbull being chased by kids who were throwing glass bottles at him.  The officer called the dog who immediately came running over with his tail between his legs, sat down next to him, and began licking the officer affectionately.  Realizing the dog was not going to harm anyone, Waskiewicz put the dog in his squad car for transport to BARCS.  In the car, the dog kissed the officer some more and then curled up and went to sleep.  Concerned for the dog, Waskiewicz returned to BARCS for the next few days to check on him. When no one claimed the homeless canine, the officer adopted him and brought home his new best friend, Bo, three days after the initial call.

As a friend of the bully dog rescue, Concrete Angels, Officer Waskiewicz related Bo’s story to them.  They blogged about it, and the story quickly went viral.

“So often we hear stories where law enforcement officers rush to judgment with violent action,” said Swanson. “But when Dan Waskiewicz answered the call, he first observed the situation calmly before he acted.  We believe he deserves high praise and should be used as an example for other police officers.”