Our police K9 is a working dog and is always on duty. He is generally friendly and enjoys the positive attention! If you happen to see the dog out of the marked police vehicle with the handler, we ask that you assess the area to ensure that the police dog is not actively involved in assisting our Patrol Division. Otherwise, when in public spaces outside, it is acceptable to ask the handler to approach the dog before attempting to pet it. This is for the safety of the dog and the public.

Our police K9 lives at home with the K9 Handler and travels to and from work in a specialized police vehicle with distinct “K9” markings. This vehicle acts like its doghouse while on duty.

A “dual purpose” canine bred for police work, can generally cost anywhere from $10,000- $20,000 for the initial purchase depending on the type of dog and pedigree. The cost of the canine does not typically include specialized training for odor detection, building search, person searches or criminal apprehension to name a few. The vehicle for the K9 is a specialty vehicle with special electronics to “pop open” the door for the dog remotely, to monitor the interior of the vehicle for heat and for a safe back seat area containment for the dog to travel inside of. There is also a startup cost for collars, leashes, reward toys, water containers, and other miscellaneous equipment as part of this purchase. Vehicle maintenance and annual maintenance for the dog is another monetary factor. Our dogs also receive ballistic vests for protection.

Our police K9 is trained in many tasks, which include narcotics detection, search for missing people, building searches, providing officers protection and to safely detain dangerous criminals until officers on scene can take that person into custody. The training for these dogs is constant, time consuming and involved.