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June 17, 1971- November 4, 2017
Stacy Elizabeth Giroir, born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, and a longtime resident of Berwick, was called to her heavenly home on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017, at the age of 46.
Those left to cherish Stacy’s memory are her loving husband, Roy J. Giroir; her beloved children, Courtney L. Aucoin, Hunter J. Aucoin and Bre Anna E. Giroir; her father, Whitney F. Pierron and his wife, Jane; and her mother, Elizabeth J. Whitney and her husband, Leroy.
She joined in heaven, Courtney and Hunter’s father, Mark Aucoin; her stepfather, Dale C. Tompkins; and her stepmother, Mary Ann Pierron.
The family requests that memorial visitation be observed Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017, from 9 a.m. until time of memorial services at 11 a.m. at the Lighthouse Community Church of Berwick. Dismissal will follow the service.

BHS MUSICAL
Berwick High Drama Club presents “Elf The Musical” at 7 p.m. Nov. 11 and 2 p.m. Nov. 12, at Berwick Junior High. For tickets, $8, or info call BHS, 985-384-8450.

One thing about K9 officers that has been known to befuddle the layman’s apprehension of the nature of the police dog’s utility, is their accountability.
By which I mean: Is one to consider them a weapon, a tool, or an officer of the law, deserving of the same respect as their human counterparts? The answer is “yes” to all of those.
K9 Officer Dozer has been with the Chitimacha Police Department since June and has prompted close to 30 narcotics arrests in that time.
He is a three-year old pit bull—bown-gray, lean, and as friendly as any dog a person could hope to meet. He is not overly affectionate—i.e., he does not dive into laps or slather you with licking. No, Dozer is well behaved, attentive, and relaxed. His tail tells the tale; and from its wagging, it is a tale of contentment.
When asked to describe Dozer’s personality as he knows it, Chitimacha Police Chief Hal Hutchinson pointed to Dozer, lounging in the middle of the office floor, and said, “That’s it, right there.”
Dozer is currently the only pit bull K9 in Louisiana law enforcement, a statistic that the CPD takes pride in.
He was obtained through an animal rescue program at Universal K9 in San Antonio, sponsored through Animal Farm Foundation, whose self-defined mission is: “to secure equal treatment and opportunity for ‘pit bull’ dogs.”
The sponsorship includes the adoption of the rescued pit bull, training of the pit bull and training of the handler. All of which, takes place free of charge.
Dozer, originally from an Austin, Texas shelter, was assigned by Universal K9, to his handler, Officer Nick Picard, when Picard went to San Antonio to pick up his new partner.
“We were looking for just a narcotics dog, and pit bulls are just narcotics dogs,” said Picard, “They’re only trained on narcotics. So, they matched Dozer with me because Dozer was trained in narcotics, and that’s what I was going for.
“They handed the dog over to me and it was like ‘alright, let’s go,’ and we just started working.
“The main thing about it is getting the dog to trust you. So, throughout the whole course, he stayed with me in my hotel room and I did everything with him. He was always with me. That was to build his trust in me.
“The way pit bulls work, is they want to please their owners. So, there was a lot of time spent with him.”
The very thing that makes pit bulls so loyal is also the thing that assures that Picard will be the only handler with whom Dozer will ever work. Though, most K9/handler partnerships operate that way anyway, the uncanny loyalty of a pit bull ensures that they will not be able to form the necessary bond of trust imperative for such a partnership, with any other handler than their first.
Hutchinson explained the impetus for adopting Dozer. “We were looking for a K9, so we wouldn’t have to call anyone else up to help us work our narcotics cases,” Hutchinson said. “We weren’t specifically looking for a pit bull. We were just looking for a K9.
“Nick (Picard) actually found the grant process for rescued animals, and if you get a rescue, and you get a pit bull, they’re free.
“There were not that many (K9s) around, and if there was one around, they were busy or they were coming off of a long shift. So, we’d be unable to get one. But, to have one here is convenient.”
However, Dozer works with Picard, so when Picard’s shift is over, so is Dozer’s. But, Picard can be called in with Dozer if necessary, and Dozer is always on duty.
Picard tells a story of taking Dozer to a relaxing day at the Lighthouse Festival, in Berwick. He says he and Dozer were strolling around and looking at the hot rods on display, when suddenly, Dozer alerted on one of the cars. Though Picard and his partner were off-duty at the time, Picard placed a call to the Berwick Police Department who came to the site and located hidden narcotics in the hot rod.
Although an asset, Dozer is also a friend to Picard. Picard said that sometimes, despite his inclinations, he has to keep from showing playful affection to Dozer because it may interfere with the protocols of Dozer’s training. When not on duty, Dozer likes to play fetch, and though he loves to work, in his off time, he also loves to run and play.
Since certifying with Universal K9, Picard and Dozer have been working with Louisiana K-9, out of Maurice, to certify in searching for synthetic marijuana. This makes the CPD K-9 unit the only unit statewide, certified in synthetic marijuana.
When asked what made him want to become a K9 handler, Picard said that after 17 years in law enforcement, he had done everything except K9 handler. So, when his chief saw the opportunity and presented it to Picard, he took to it the same way Dozer has taken to him, gladly.
Picard has recently been training through Louisiana K-9, and certifying in tracking (missing, fleeing, or hidden perpetrators) and article search (discarded or hidden contraband), which is executed through commands and working techniques, with Dozer.
“He’s miraculous. You know, that’s it,” said Picard. “I just have to show them what Dozer can do, and it just blows them out of the water.”
In a demonstration of Dozer’s ability and technique, Hutchinson took a glass jar containing narcotics from a lockbox, and disappeared into the station kitchen.
He removed the lid of the jar by the refrigerator, extracted the narcotics from the jar, and hid the narcotics in one of the lower cupboards in the kitchen.
Once the narcotics were safely hidden, Hutchinson called for Dozer and Picard to start the demonstration.
The two entered the kitchen and began working the room; Picard snapping his fingers and proclaiming commands, and Dozer, tail wagging, searching feverishly with his nose.
As dozer approached the cabinet where the narcotics had been placed, he paused at the refrigerator and began to turn in circles. Without alerting, and after several turns around, Dozer moved away from the refrigerator and came to the drug-harboring cabinet, where he sat, pointed, and held perfectly still.
After the demonstration, Hutchinson explained to Picard that he had taken the lid off of the narcotics jar at the refrigerator, and had set the lid on the counter, nearby. This was the reason for Dozer’s detour during the demonstration.
Dozer received his reward: a small, gray, pock-marked length of PVC pipe, which he chewed zealously, all the while, his tail wagging.

It wasn’t pretty at times, but the No. 4 seed Central Catholic Lady Eagles were able to knock off enough rust from an eight-day layoff for a 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-12) victory against No. 13 seed False River Academy in second-round Division V playoff action in Morgan City Thursday.
False River kept things close in the first two games before Central Catholic took charge in game three and never was seriously threatened.
“We started off a little slow, but eventually, we picked it up with our serving game, and we were able to control some things up at the net,” Central Catholic Coach Latashia Wise said.
With the win, the Lady Eagles return to the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner for the Division V quarterfinal round. Central Catholic will meet No. 5 St. John Nov. 9 at a yet-to-be-announced time. St. John defeated No. 12 Academy of Sacred Heart of Grand Coteau 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-21) in other regional action Tuesday.
“They’re very, very excited,” Wise said of her team returning to the state tournament. “This is something we’ve been talking about since way back in June. It’s always exciting when you get to go back to the Pontchartrain Center, even if it’s year after year after year. With so many injuries and … people getting sick, and anytime you can make it back, it’s always a good thing.”
As for Thursday’s match, Game 1 featured multiple ties and lead changes. Central Catholic took the lead for good at 13-12 on a kill by Haley Fontenot, which started a 6-0 Central Catholic run and prompted a False River timeout after a block by Johnson gave Central Catholic an 18-12 lead.
False River would get no closer than five points the rest of the way, and Central Catholic closed the set on a Sydney Williams kill for a 25-16 win.
Again, game two was close as the largest lead for either team through the mid-way point of the match was a three-point lead by False River at 14-11 on a Central Catholic hitting error.
With the game tied at 16 after a Central Catholic hitting error in the net, the Lady Eagles outscored their visitors 9-1 the rest of the contest, with the game concluding on a block by Green.
Central Catholic never trailed in game three and took as much as a 12 point lead on five occasions, the last on a Green block for a 24-12 advantage.
The match ended with a double-hit called on False River for a 25-12 Central Catholic lead.
As a team, Central Catholic had 47 assists and 18 solo blocks.
While Johnson turned in her usual solid stat line with nine kills, one assist, three aces, eight digs and five solo blocks, teammate Green also shined in the victory, In addition to three kills, she had 10 solo blocks and one block assist. Fontenot also put down some solid kills en route to a five-kill performance along with one assist and four digs.
“They’ve been key for us down the stretch,” Wise said of Green and Fontenot. “Caroline has had her moments for us throughout the entire season, but towards the end part of (the) season, the last month or so, she really has come around and (has) been a force for our volleyball team.”
Other top Central Catholic contributors were Katie Hoffpauir, 26 assists and one dig; Quincee Wiggins, two aces and 21 digs; Taylor Picou, 19 assists and three digs; Williams, six kills, three digs, two solo blocks and one block assist; Bailee Lipari, one kill, one ace and nine digs; and Ava Nicar, five digs.
Carley Parks led False River with 41 assists, while Lexi Sellars had 28 digs. Other top contributors were Katelyn Brooks, five kills and two blocks, and Mari Blair Webre, one ace, two digs and two kills.