FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners voted to spend $3,000 Tuesday to buy a potential police dog from a Weld kennel that is owned by Franklin County Sheriff Deputy David Rackliffe.

The dog was bought to be used by Rackliffe, who is currently training him. He will use his current police dog, Odin, who is certified in patrol and tracking functions as well as narcotics detection, to help train Justice, a 9-month-old male German shepherd, before Odin retires.

Odin, 7, has had surgery on both hind legs and is currently working at an acceptable level but he is starting to occasionally show signs of arthritis in a rear leg, Rackliffe said.

“The expected retirement for a working dog is between 8 and 10 years of age,” Rackliffe told commissioners in a proposal to purchase the dog. “It is anticipated that Odin will need to retire within the next 18 months as the arthritis becomes more disabling and painful.”

The idea is to get a new dog trained before Odin’s arthritis worsens and his workability starts to fall below an acceptable level, which could potentially compromise the safety of both the dog and handler, Rackliffe said.

Rackliffe, who runs Von Woden Kennels, imported Justice from Belgium as a young puppy. The dog has been participating in regular training to prepare him as a working police dog.

The intent is that Justice will replace Odin as Rackliffe’s partner in 2012.

Odin is on the upper scale of the workload as far as dogs go at the Sheriff’s Department, Cpl. Nate Bean, another police dog handler, said. Bean, a recently certified police dog trainer, will also be holding training sessions for police dogs.

Sheriff Chief Deputy Raymond Meldrum said that Justice comes with a good guarantee that if he doesn’t work out, Rackliffe’s kennel will replace the dog with a dog of equal quality. He is guaranteed against health defects and to possess the traits and characteristics required to become a working police dog.

The average cost for a 10- to 18-month-old police dog prospect is currently between $7,000 and $8,000, Rackliffe said.

By buying Justice at this time, it keeps the purchase price at less than half of what police agencies are paying for their dogs, he said.

According to the proposal, if Justice continued to be owned and trained by Von Woden Kennels until next spring, his cost would rise to $7,000.

Justice will now be able to attend the same monthly in-service trainings that Rackliffe and Odin attend with no additional cost.

There is enough money left over in the criminal investigation line in the current budget to buy the dog.

In another matter, commissioners opened six proposals for leased space for the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors and staff plan to move out of the basement of the courthouse after July 1.

The proposals were from Riverbend Property Management, Joyce, David and Hanstein, Braconi and Carlson, Cousineau Properties, Craig Jordan Property Management and Foothills Management.

Commissioners opted to let assistant district attorneys review the proposals to see what best fits their needs.

Commission Chairman Fred Hardy of New Sharon said commissioners will review the proposals as well.

dperry@sunjournal.com