New England Patriots

Police department names new K-9 after Patriots' Gronkowski

Published May. 19, 2017 2:10 p.m. ET

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AP

ATHOL, Mass. (AP) Gronk will soon be tracking down criminals, sniffing for drugs and acting as the furry face of a Massachusetts police department.

No, not New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.

This Gronk is the Athol Police Department's new dog. The year-old German shepherd is undergoing a 14-week training program.

Chief Russell Kleber tells The Recorder (http://bit.ly/2rznwGh ) that Gronk will be the department's first K-9 officer in seven or eight years. He says he wanted to name the dog after a Boston sports figure and recalled that the real Gronk has a connection to town.

After attending a nearby charity event in February, the Patriots player stopped by an Athol Subway shop and ordered a footlong chicken, cheese and guacamole sandwich that the restaurant's owner dubbed the Big Subkowski.

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Information from: The (Greenfield, Mass.) Recorder, http://www.recorder.com

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