The Shelby Township Police Department welcomed K-9 CJ to the force. Police officer Justin Goebel is K-9 CJ’s handler.
By: Mary Beth Almond | Shelby-Utica News | Published October 13, 2025
SHELBY TOWNSHIP — A new police K-9 has joined the ranks of the Shelby Township Police Department.
On Oct. 7, the Shelby Township Police Department introduced its newest member of the force, K-9 officer CJ, during the Shelby Township Board of Trustees meeting.
“This is an important evening here,” Township Clerk Stanley Grot said. “I know it’s going to look cute and fuzzy, but CJ is going to officially become an officer today.”
Throughout October, police officer Justin Goebel, CJ’s handler, is putting the dog through the K-9 Academy, where he will be certified in narcotics and tracking.
Goebel named the dog in honor of his friend, Sgt. Colin James Rose, a Wayne State University police officer and K-9 handler who was killed in the line of duty in November 2016 at the age of 29.
K-9 officers live at home with their handlers, who say their four-legged friends are just as comfortable pursuing a suspect as they are greeting families at Shelby Township functions.
CJ is replacing Goebel’s former K-9 partner, Niko, a German Shepherd, who was forced to retire last summer due to a leg injury.
“He hurt his paw while working and they had to retire him right afterwards. He was 4 years old, so he still had another five years (of police work) in him,” said Clinton Township resident Mark Carr, who founded Szajna-Carr For the Paws with his wife, Evette Szajna, two years ago.
Szajna-Carr For the Paws received a $20,000 grant from the Four County Community Foundation to purchase the K-9 for the department. The grant, Carr said, covered the $10,000 cost of purchasing CJ, $5,000 for his academy training and $1,200 for a custom bulletproof vest.
The remaining funds, he said, were donated to police departments with K-9 units in Oakland, Lapeer and St. Clair counties.
“We were able to buy the dog for Shelby Township and then we helped 10 other K-9s in those other communities,” Carr said.
To request a K-9 appearance, call the Shelby Township Police Department at (586) 731-2121.