Heroes come in several shapes and sizes, one of them being a furry, four-legged “deputy’s” best friend. They’re playful and sweet, probably just like your dog at home, but these service dogs know that it’s time to go to work when duty calls.
“Training is done in three parts: obedience, narcotic detection and apprehension,” Cpl. John Barnes said. “And so we take an equal amount of time for each one of those to make sure every week the dog has a good amount of training make sure he’s ready for the week ahead.”
The dogs are trained for some intense settings, and are prepared to keep their deputy safe even if it means running straight into the face of danger.
“The dog is trained to react to gun shots. So if someone is shooting at us, the dog will react. They’re going to protect their handlers as much as they can,” said Cpl. Brandon Coulter.
But just like their handlers, even the service dogs need some time off.
“I think the biggest misconception about police service dogs is that they’re all just aggressive and mean,” said Cpl. James Owens. “And that’s just not the case. They’re trained to do a job, just like we’re trained to do a job. My dog specifically is really friendly. Around the house he can play with the kids, now and then he comes inside. He’s not aggressive toward the family, but when we’re at work, he’s there to protect me, and I”m there to protect him.”
“We play ball with them, they’re very happy, they never get mistreated, we’re always there for them. They require affection to be good at work,” said Cpl. Barnes.
The K-9 unit is something the county’s Sheriff’s office feels very fortunate to have. Each member are volunteers, and are also members of the SWAT team.
“We’re very proud of these guys. they’re the hardest working individuals that I’ve been associated with,” said Sgt. Phil Caroland on behalf of his men. “They’re very self-motivated and represent the sheriff’s department with pride.”
Some “fun” facts about the service dogs:
– The service dogs used here in Lubbock County are actually Belgian Malinois, not German Shepherds. They are alike in appearance, but the unit says you can really tell the difference in their actions.
– The service dogs typically begin work at two years of age and are in service for seven to nine years
– These dogs from a very young age are raised to be sports dogs.
– Because the dogs are considered law enforcement, you can face some serious charges for assaulting them:
Class A misdemeanor: releasing the dog from the kennel
Class B misdemeanor: aggravating the police dog from outside of the kennel. Example: banging on the kennel while the dog is inside.
Class C misdemeanor: enticing a police dog. Example: yelling at the dog or trying to get it to bark at you while he’s inside the kennel.
You can receive state jail felony for injuring the service dog or harming it in anyway shape or form.
It is second-degree felony in the state of Texas for killing a service dog.
