The K9 teams of the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office provide missing person tracking, building search, narcotics search, and suspect apprehension options for incidents within the county of Kalamazoo.

 

 

The team currently has two K9’s, Apollo and Terek, and hopes to add additional canines and handlers as additional funding is established. Apollo is teamed with Deputy Neuman, while Terek works alongside Sgt. Sandlin.

 

Deputy Neuman and Apollo	Sergeant Sandlin and Terek

 

Becoming a canine handler is a huge, ongoing commitment for the deputies. Both deputies and dogs must first go through a K9 academy. In the academy, the deputies become accustomed to their new partners and learn to read their body language. The dogs have already received their initial training by this time, but they must learn to work with their new handlers and receive deeper training in each discipline.

 

 

 

Following graduation, the K9 deputies’ partners become part of the family, and require continual, ongoing training both at home and work. The deputies are partnered for the working life of the dog, typically six to nine years, unless the dog is disabled in the line of duty. At the end of their career, KCSO’s K9s are given to their handlers to begin a well earned retirement.