11/30/2025
Fundraiser to raise money for local k9 for a vest. Link in the article
Great interview Officer Modlin!
Canon City Police Officer Austin Modlin takes a photo with his new K9 partner, Ares, atop Skyline Drive. Modlin and Ares will soon join fellow K9 team Officer Taylor Lozano and Radar at Christmas with the K9s on Dec. 6. (Photo courtesy of the Canon City Police Department)
The old adage “dog is a man’s best friend” continues to prove true at the Cañon City Police Department.
In addition to recently welcoming their newest K9 team of Officer Austin Modlin and 2-year-old Malinois/Dutch Shepherd mix Ares, the department soon anticipates sending them (alongside fellow K9 Officer Taylor Lozano and Dutch Shepherd Radar) to “Christmas with the K9s” in Englewood.
The event, meant to introduce officers and police K9s to the public, also serves as a fun and interactive activity for the community — one Modlin encourages Cañon City residents to also enjoy.
“It’s a very laid-back event for people to come meet some of the K9 handlers,” he said. “It’s a good place for us to meet and talk because who doesn’t love dogs?
”Christmas with the K9s, hosted by Back the Blue K-9 Force, gives K9 teams from across Southern Colorado an opportunity to not only meet members of their respective communities but also share their hopes and needs for their dogs.
During the past decade, Back the Blue K-9 Force has been instrumental in providing surgeries, vests, kennels, wireless tracking systems and much more to Colorado K9 teams — and Ares has his “wish-list,” including a tracking harness, SWAT vest, and name patches.
Though Modlin does have a temporary vest for Ares, he has high hopes of attaining a new, custom stab and ballistic-proof vest for his four-legged partner.
“I’m all about the longevity of myself and the dog in this career,” he said. “I’ll be very particular…but with him having a vest, that would give me a little bit of peace of mind.”Though the CCPD has worked with Back the Blue K-9 Force for several years, this will be the first time they send K9 teams to Christmas with the K9s.
A well-rounded police K9, Ares is trained in general patrol tactics as well as suspect apprehension, narcotics detection, and tracking and comes from the Czech Republic. Modlin, who has been with the CCPD for just over three years, knew that being a K9 handler was on his own wish-list during his career and highly anticipated training with Ares this summer.
“I’ve guided my career, for the most part, doing a lot of drug investigations,” he said. “And the department has seen that it’s beneficial and thought it would be good for me to have a dog.”
After an intensive training academy in North Carolina in September, the duo hit the streets in Cañon City, but Modlin has quickly learned that there are numerous things to learn and keep sharp as a K9 officer.“We’ve been training with an outside agency doing narcotics detection, having other people lay tracks for me,” he said. “It mixes it up for the dog so he’s not seeing the same thing every single time … Because, in the real world, you can’t predict the situation.”
Modlin anticipates that Ares will have a bit of fun at the event and hopes Cañon City residents, should they be in Englewood for the day, will drop by and enjoy some chit chat and pets.
“It’s all new, but it’s awesome,” Modlin said about the event. “I just want to have fun with it. It’s not just about donations, it’s about connecting with the community and building bridges with other people.”
Christmas with the K9s will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 6 at John Elway Chevrolet, located at 5200 S. Broadway, Englewood. If local residents can’t attend the Englewood event, they can make donations and/or purchase gift cards for their chosen K9 team at https://www.giftcards.com/us/en/catalog/brands/visa-gift-cards. Learn more about the event at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/cu/ZpQTATI.
