Four-legged officers on the force

Apr. 8--Not all officers at the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office have a badge and a gun.

Five dogs currently work with deputies in the field. Just like their human counterparts, they put in their time, and eventually, they get to retire.

In the past year, several dogs have retired, and new ones have been brought in to join the force.

Retiring from service

Three K9s have recently retired from the Sheriff's Office. Dogs that serve are usually retired due to medical issues stemming from a life in service or just age. The most recent retiree, Shaw, a bloodhound, was due to different circumstances.

"We decided to officially retire our bloodhound due to performance and staffing needs. This position was not as fundamentally sustainable as we originally intended, and we felt it was better suited for the handler to perform his duties with a multi-purpose K9," said Sheriff Alan Norman.

Shaw and K9's Lyken and Bolo were all recognized by the Cleveland County Commissioners in the past year for their service and went to live with their handlers.

Adding new blood

Right now the Sheriff's Office uses three breeds of dogs, German Shepherds, Dutch Shepherds and Belgian Malinois. The dogs currently with the Sheriff's Office are trained in patrolling, narcotics and some for searching.

But there is a price tag attached to the new recruit.

According to the National Police Dog Foundation, the average cost of ordering a dog from Europe specifically for police use can cost $8,000 or more and that is just for a basically trained dog. To help waive some of the cost one of the Sheriff's Office's handlers went on a week-long journey to Germany to find two new dogs to fill out the K9 squad.

"This trip will save us a lot of money because we can buy directly from the breeder," Norman said.

The partnership with the breeder cuts out the cost of a middle man broker in the U.S., he said.

The price of training

Once the dog is purchased, more training is yet to come.

Once paired, officers and K9 must go through 400 hours of training together to become familiar with one another and the various tasks they will be doing. After that, officers continue training day so their partners are in top shape, Norman said.

A highly trained K9 duo can cost as much as $18,000 per year to keep in shape, Norman said.

Costs usually include various leashes, vet bills, food and continued training and certification, not to mention treats and toys for a job well done.

Funding the K9 unit

Money to keep this expensive unit running comes from the Sheriff's Office budget and through donations from the community.

The trip to Germany was funded by donations from Hope Animal Hospital and funds raised through the K9 unit's ongoing T-shirt sales, Norman said.

"The division is not solely funded by the county, but numerous times through the year the division will sell T-shirts, have fundraisers or take donation to help offset the costs," Norman said.

This is the only group with the Sheriff's Office that does this type of fundraising.

"The cost of running a K9 division can become expensive, but it's worth the expense," Norman said.

Joyce Orlando can be reached at 704-669-3341 or find her on Twitter @Star_J_Orlando.

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