Tashkent Dog Names

Boris Mavashev is a seismologist, and doctor of geology and ecology who was born in Tashkent. His specialty is geochemical and meteorological precursors of earthquakes. Boris is also the name of a former Virginia Tech Police Department K-9. The pup, who was involved in apprehension and narcotics detection, retired after five years for health reasons at the age of nine and a half. A German Shepherd, Boris joined the department in 2008 after going through extensive training. In his work, Boris would assist in narcotic investigations and was able to detect the presence of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. He was also successful in tracking people and searching for them.

According to Kevin Foust, the interim police chief at the time of Boris’ retirement, “Boris was an important member of our department, the university, and the region. He kept Virginia Tech safe and was an excellent community resource.”  He continued, explaining that “Boris was really a bridge between the police department and the students. They loved seeing him around campus.”

In October 2009, Boris was partnered with Officer Jaret Reece. The two spent a lot of time around campus on patrol or conducting special demonstrations for groups at the university. They also assisted neighboring communities, where Boris was put to work conducting narcotic searches and both tracked and help in apprehending suspects.

Reece reminisced about a time when they were assisting Montgomery County in tracking a suspect. According to Reece, they encountered some heavy undergrowth and Boris stopped. Reece assumed it was because they had to locate an easier path or that Boris had lost the scent of the suspect. While Reece tried to find a place where the undergrowth was less thick, Boris kept going back to the same spot. It turned out that suspect was hiding in that undergrowth.

Boris was certified annually as a patrol K-9 and a narcotics detection canine, which meant that regular training was important. He and Reece attended training two times each month with other K-9 units in the region. Reece would also run Boris through drills when they had downtime.

Once retired, Boris will be adopted into the Reece family where he will live with three other dogs and enjoy a slower pace.