Say it’s a sweltering August afternoon and the sidewalk is hot enough to sear a New York strip. You walk by a parked cop car, and are startled by a deep bark emanating from behind the heavily tinted windows.

There’s a police dog in the vehicle. And although it’s a highly trained dog, it’s still a dog, and still susceptible to the same heat exhaustion any other animal — or person — would experience if left in a hot car.

Every year, thousands of dogs die when left in vehicles, even for as little as 15 minutes — and even in the dead of winter. If the vehicle’s cabin heats up in the sun and there’s no way to cool it down, it’s far more than a dog’s furry body can withstand.

It’s easy for tenderhearted passersby to assume the worst when confronted by this scene. But cops have put a lot of thought into keeping their four-legged partners safe. Even in blazing temperatures.

Just ask New York State Police trooper Charles Kaplan. He’s usually accompanied on the road by his partner, Liam — a 4-year-old German shepherd trained to detect narcotics, find cadavers, search buildings and keep Kaplan safe. Read More

Woodhaven Police Officer Dean Vann is not a big fan of Facebook, nor is Police Chief Robert Toth, but both are singing the praises of social media now that the department has won a nationwide online photo contest for K9s and their handlers.

Vann is the handler for K9 Officer Bruno and their picture recently was entered into the magazine contest for an opportunity to have registration fees paid to attend the ninth annual international K-9 Cop Conference & Vendor Show in Nashville, Tennessee.

Vann and Bruno didn’t just win, they won by a landslide.

More than 1,600 people voted on Facebook for the Woodhaven team, with the second-place finisher coming in at about 300 votes.

There were 32 entries in the contest from departments in California, Kentucky, Florida, Canada, New York, Missouri and more.

The conference will be held in September and last for three days. Read More

CHANDLER, Texas (KETK) – A Flint man is behind bars Tuesday morning after a Henderson County K-9 officer named Max found $22,700 pounds of meth in his car.

“It is the largest haul this Office has brought in with the K-9’s. It took solid law-enforcement work and great internal cooperation to make this happen. It shows just how serious we are about cracking-down illegal drugs in this County. ” BOTIE HILLHOUSE, HENDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF

James Mastin, 60, was pulled over for a traffic violation and was found to be driving without a license. K-9 Max was called in with his handler Deputy Hogan for an open-sniff of the vehicle. Read More

Something about the two men Investigator J.M. Talamantez pulled over for speeding just didn’t feel right. As an interdiction officer for the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office, Talamantez knew the signs of illegal activity, but instinct isn’t a legal reason to search. When he asked for permission, the vehicle’s occupants refused.

Earlier this year, his only option would have been to issue the driver a speeding ticket and send the two on their way. In this particular case, however, that would have meant missing $250,000 worth of meth that was hidden in the car along with thousands of dollars and a gun.

The addition in April of a K-9 unit gave Talamantez a better option. He requested the assistance of Deputy Kyle Ciolfi and his specially trained partner K9 Ron to sniff out any possible trouble — literally. Read More

HUNTERSVILLE, NC — Residents of Huntersville have a new face on the police force to look for around town, one with deep soulful eyes, and, if he’s like most others, potentially questionable breath. Huntersville Police Department’s newest member is Gunner, an adorable one-year-old German shorthaired pointer who joins the department’s K9 unit as a narcotics and trailing dog.

Gunner and his handler, Officer Daniel Johnson, recently completed a three week training program and join three shepherds in the unit, said HPD Officer Odette Saglimbeni. The three shepherds work as patrol dogs, she said. Read More

Even if 17.5 tons of cocaine represents only a fraction of the illegal drugs flowing through the United States, the 15,582 bricks nosed out by eight K-9 dogs in Philadelphia on June 17 was “the largest cocaine seizure American history,” says Robbinsville Police Sergeant Scott Kivet.

Three of the eight K9 handlers and their dogs who searched out the drugs were from Mercer County, including Ewing Police Officer Brittney Fornarotto and Jax. The other two were Kivet and Quori and Det. Sgt. Joe Angarone and Bela of the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.

The dogs scoured a large Liberian-flagged container ship and pinpointed cocaine with a street value of about $1.1 billion hidden in just seven of thousands of containers on the ship. Read More

A missing four-year-old boy is safe and sound after being rescued by a police canine in Rock Springs, Wyoming.

According to Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the 900 block of Jefferson Avenue to assist Rock Springs Police Department in locating a missing child on Sunday evening.

The boy’s mother reported to police that he wandered out of the yard while playing with their dogs. She was out looking for her son, but couldn’t find him and he had been missing for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, according to Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office. After providing a physical description to police, the mother also advised them that he has possible developmental disabilities that inhibit his communication skills. Read More

In one of the busiest drug-trafficking corridors in the country, a crime-fighting dog is making a big name for himself.

K-9 Kolt started on the force with Fayette County Sheriff’s office in January 2019 and is already responsible for over $10,000,000 worth of drug seizures.

“He is special. I think there is something special about him to, you know, learn at such an early age and so fast. He’s developing really quickly,” said his handler, Sgt. Randy Thumann of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office.

The 2-year-old Belgian Malinois stays busy working Interstate 10 through Fayette County. Sgt Thumann says it’s a common area for narcotic shipments from Mexico. Read More

The new Liberty County Sheriff’s Office bloodhound team of Capt. Lonnie Bowman and K-9 Charlie successfully trailed and located their first robbery suspect just days after K-9 Charlie was officially sworn in. On Thursday, July 11, 2019, Liberty County Deputies were called to assist the Hinesville Police Department in pursuit of Jaquay Rackwon Smith, who was a suspect in several Hinesville area robberies. Smith also had numerous outstanding warrants for Aggravated Assault, Theft of a Firearm and Failure to Appear. A short time later, Capt. Bowman and bloodhound Charlie located Smith hiding behind a house and Smith was taken into custody without incident. The Liberty County Sheriff’s Office recently acquired bloodhound Charlie from Scent Evidence K9 to assist in locating not only fleeing suspects, but also missing persons and those with Alzheimer’s Disease or Autism who at risk of wandering. Read More