BONNERS FERRY — Ava Wion dreamed of becoming a police K-9 handler when she was a little girl. Today, the Bonners Ferry police officer is on the cusp of making that dream a reality — and she’s doing it with a partner she’s known since the day he was born.

Wion and her 72-pound dog, Stark, are preparing to establish the department’s first K-9 program in more than a decade.

“It’s been a dream of mine since I was very little,” Wion said. “I think anybody that’s known me for any amount of time could tell you I’ve always wanted to be working with police dogs.”

Indeed, Wion admits she’s not the most social person in the world, but she lights up when she starts talking about the K-9 program — and despite not being particularly social, she couldn’t be more enthusiastic about getting the program off the ground, including a steady flow of community outreach events she participates in to educate the public and fundraise.

“I love talking about dogs, and I love connecting with the community,” Wion said. “I hope that having the canine program will help get everybody involved with what the police department has going on.”

Wion joined the force in August 2025 after years of working as a dog trainer. She’s certified through the American Society of Canine Trainers International, and she brings several years of experience in training police dogs and working with search-and-rescue dogs to the table.

Wion bred Stark — a German shepherd bred from West German and Czech working dogs — specifically to be a drug-sniffing police dog.

“He was born in my living room,” she said. “I bred him, raised him, and he’s been training to do this essentially his whole life.”

Unlike most puppies, Stark’s training focused on detecting odors rather than sitting, heeling and behaving on a leash.

“I wanted his default behavior to be looking for drugs, not walking in a perfect heel or anything else,” Wion said.

Stark is trained to sniff out methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl and cocaine — the plan is for the department to use him during traffic stops, particularly when officers suspect drug activity along U.S. Highway 95.

Numbers released in September by the Idaho Statistical Analysis Center, which resides within the Pass-Through Grants and Research Department of the Idaho State Police, make a strong case for why Bonners Ferry could use Wion and Stark’s capabilities.

According to the center’s numbers, drug offense rates increased 25% between 2005 and 2025, rising from 8.8 to 11 offenses per 1,000 residents. Drug and alcohol offenses accounted for 25% of all reported offenses in 2025, compared with just 9% in 2005.

Methamphetamine and other amphetamines were seized in 27% of drug arrests in 2025. Of offenders accused of crimes against people or property, 9.6% were suspected of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, nearly double the 5.2% recorded in 2005.

In Boundary County specifically, there were 68 drug/narcotics violations and 67 drug-equipment violations in 2025, according to ISP crime statistics. A separate report from ISAC documented 17 methamphetamine/amphetamine arrests in Boundary County during the same period.

Over the last decade, the Bonners Ferry Police Department has had to depend on the Boundary County Sheriff's Office canine program for access to drug-sniffing dogs. Once Wion and Stark hit the streets, that will change.

“This will be a really huge step for our agency to be able to have our own dog for the detection of illegal narcotics, especially with the amount of trafficking that’s happening with the major thoroughfare that we have of Highway 95 coming through town,” Wion said.

Although Stark has passed an independent certification, he and Wion must complete Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training certification before beginning patrol duties. Wion expects that to be completed in February.

“He’s passed an independent certification with the American Society of Canine Trainers International,” Wion said. “But in order to work live as a police dog in the state of Idaho, he and I have to gain Idaho POST certification.”

Of course, that training and the program itself aren’t free — which is why continuous fundraising is part of the job description, Wion said.

While funding for licensing is already secured, Wion estimates the program needs another $5,000 for initial expenses, including first-aid equipment and a vehicle heat alarm. There are K-9 fatalities due to overheating in police vehicles every year, Wion said.

The alarm, which would monitor temperatures inside the patrol vehicle and cost around $2,000, would notify Wion of dangerous conditions and activate emergency safeguards.

The Coos County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon has already donated a vehicle kennel insert, which runs about $7,000, Wion said. She is in the process of setting up an account for anyone who would like to donate to the program.

“For right now, any donations can be brought directly into City Hall and given to our accounting manager, Debbie Garcia,” Wion said. “People can bring checks or cash down to the same place they would make their utility payments.”

Although it’s going to take a community effort to get the program off the ground and keep it going, Wion is certain Stark is a safe bet. After all, it’s a job he’s been preparing for since before he was even born. 

Wion selected Stark’s parents for their working abilities, and she spent years preparing for the breeding that produced him.

“All the work put into Stark came years before he ever entered the world,” she said.

And now the two officers are finally preparing to work together professionally.

“This is a huge dream come true for me,” Wion said. “It almost doesn’t feel real that it’s happening.”