Meet Connecticut's Canine Officers: Soleil Glastonbury PD

GLASTONBURY, CT — By police dog standards, Glastonbury's Soleil is a veteran — and a decorated one at that.

Soleil and handler Officer Neal Cavanaugh have been on the beat since March 2019, when the GPD added a canine unit for the first time in several years.

And Soleil and Cavanagh have had their share of interesting and high-profile calls ever since.

Here are some examples:

In July, what started as a welfare check at a local hotel parking lot turned into Soleil locating a stash of drugs. It was 2:40 p.m. on July 20 and, when approaching a vehicle, Soleil alerted Cavanaugh, to the presence of drugs and the occupant, identified as a 44-year-old woman from Glastonbury, was taken into custody, police said.

In mid-May, Soleil helped snag a drug stash during a traffic stop along the 3000 block of Main Street, according to an arrest report. The driver, a 29-year-old East Hartford man, was found to have an outstanding warrant on him for probation violation. Also During the traffic stop, Soleil alerted Cavanaugh to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle and they were recovered, according to an arrest report. The man was charged with probation violation, possession of a controlled substance and failure to keep narcotics in their original container, according to an arrest report.

In November, Soleil helped get a lost and confused local man get home safely. On a Thursday night, Soleil was called in to assist in locating an 96-year-old man who has dementia.

The man walked away from his house on a night featuring chilly temperatures and pouring rain, police said. Soleil began a track that headed a half-mile down the man's street and into a thickly wooded area full of tall cattails and located the missing man. He was wet, cold, and had some minor injuries, but Soleil led him to safety, police said.

In 2022, Soleil and took the top prize in the apprehension portion of the Connecticut K-9 Olympics.

On a weekend in 2019, Cavanaugh was on patrol with Soleil and they had a brief stint as mechanics. They came across an elderly driver stuck with a flat tire and decided why wait for a tow truck. Cavanaugh decided to change it himself with Soleil assisting.