SUPERIOR, Wis. (KQDS-TV) — The Northland K9 Foundation has been bringing police K9 teams and the community closer together at Operation K9 for the last 12 years. This year, 17 handlers from across the Northland showcased their teamwork with their furry beat partners.

“Work’s always exciting, especially when you’re on patrol, but now that I have a K-9 in my squad car, it’s super fun,” said Shane McKee, a K9 handler with the Duluth Police Department. “We got single-purpose dogs, bomb dogs, electronic dogs, drug dogs. So this is just kind of an opportunity to show the community the dogs that work in their community every day.”

Officer McKee has worked with K9 Fitz for a little over a year now. He said his job feels more rewarding after Fitz has joined his side.

“He’s a dual-purpose dog. So, some of the things he specializes in are criminal apprehension, tracking, narcotics detection, evidence searches, and then, of course, he’s just obedience, which is something that we practice every day all the time,” said McKee. “One of my favorite parts and one of my favorite things as a K-9 handler is seeing him get better. And that’s every day, just little by little.”

The Northland K9 Foundation is a nonprofit that helps sponsor the training and purchasing of police K9s. They have purchased police K9’s for 8 agencies like Duluth, Superior, Hermantown, Hibbing, Virginia, Eveleth, St. Louis County, and Douglas County.

“We’re able to provide $20,000 per dog for an agency when they when they need one,” said Dana Kazel, a board member with the Northland K9 Foundation. “As all of these government entities are trying to tighten budgets, it’s a wonderful help to be able to, you know, ensure that their canine programs remain strong and continue.”

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Members of the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, Williamson County Schools and the Williamson County Animal Center celebrated two new four-legged school resource officers (SRO) during a ceremony on Aug. 7.

More than 60 people witnessed the awarding of badges, patches and chew toys to Chet and Scout at the animal center. The dogs were adopted from the Williamson County Animal Center and Snooty Giggles Dog Rescue, and trained to earn their certification from the United States Police Canine Association as narcotics officers.

Scout, a yellow Labrador, has been partnered with Deputy John Bevans and lives with him and his family. Chet is a mixture of five breeds and lives with Deputy Brandon Rivera and his family.

The sheriff’s office and Williamson County Schools are launching a joint SRO program this school year that they hope will eventually place narcotics dogs in each county high school. Bevans and Scout will patrol Independence High School this year, while Rivera and Chet will be stationed at Ravenwood High School.

Also honored during the ceremony was Nala, the Belgian Malinois partner of Sgt. Amy Fann. Fann is the supervisor of the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office SRO program, and first proposed bringing narcotics dogs into schools.

“She said that we can use K9s to make campuses safer,” Deputy Chief Matt Gelfand said. “She had the idea, pitched it up the chain and didn’t let it die. Thank you for your vision to make this program a reality.”

Gelfand said Bevans and Rivera had to pass a series of strict assessments, including responding to a mock emergency and a panel interview, to become K9 handlers. He praised their dedication to their jobs and their four-legged partners.

“The selection process that gave us these officers was correct,” Gelfand stated. “These dogs have the willingness, drive, heart and desire to please, and they’re becoming guardians of our children in schools.”

Ravenwood High School Principal Dr. Patrick Boyd shared he is excited to see the new K9 program grow.

“We’ve been partners with the SROs for decades, and I’m looking forward to seeing it continue to benefit

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On a Greenwood County farm, Cheryl Phillips trains search dogs for the call she hopes never comes.

The moment she clips a bright red tracking collar around Kite’s neck, the Belgian Malinois changes.

Seconds earlier, the 5-year-old dog had been looking for attention, weaving between people and accepting scratches from familiar hands.

But with her collar on, her nose drops toward the grass. Her pace slows.

Every step has purpose.

“When this collar goes on her, if she comes up to you, just ignore her,” Cheryl said before the search began. “If she doesn’t have the collar on, I tell everybody she’s fair game, if you want to love on her.”

Released into a grassy training area on the Phillips’ Hodges farm, Kite began moving through the field, sweeping back and forth as she worked the air around her.

The morning was already hot. Insects hummed above the tall grass and tree limbs while Sam Phillips, Cheryl’s husband and self-described assistant, watched nearby. He had placed a bright yellow case among the broken limbs.

Kite paused along the path, lifted her head and changed direction.

Within moments, she settled into a sit beside a hidden training aid containing human remains, her trained final response once she has located the source.

The dog did not paw at it. She did not pick it up. She simply sat and waited.

“Good girl,” Cheryl called as Kite’s focus broke with her reward of her favorite toy.

For Cheryl, it was not a trick.

It was years of work distilled into a few quiet seconds. And someday, those instincts could help answer one of the hardest questions a family can ask: Where is my loved one?

Raven’s unexpected turn

Long before Kite, there was Raven.

Cheryl bought Raven to accompany her while she traveled on the rodeo circuit, expecting the dog would provide personal protection while she was on the road alone.

There was one problem.

Raven loved everyone.

Instead of becoming the imposing protector Cheryl imagined, Raven became the dog that introduced her to scent work.

Cheryl came across information about scent training in an American Kennel Club publication and began experimenting with Raven.

“I started doing the stuff with her, and it just took off from there,” Cheryl said. “She was just a godsend. I feel like all of them were.”

Raven eventually trained to search for living people and later made a find during a search in Washington state, Cheryl said.

But when Raven was 7 years old, she died unexpectedly. Cheryl eventually brought new dogs to their farm, continuing the work Raven had begun.

The work was a natural extension of a life spent in public service.

Cheryl previously worked for Greenwood City Fire and became a paramedic in 1997. She later completed specialized training as a K-9 medic, learning emergency procedures she could use if a dog were injured far from veterinary care.

Search and rescue became another way to serve. Today, Cheryl operates Carolina K9 Tactical Search & Rescue, training and deploying search dogs from the couple’s Hodges farm.

Cheryl said when she first entered the field, she was told that putting a dog on the ground for one or two searches during its lifetime would be considered an accomplishment, particularly because she did not come from a military or law enforcement background.

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WIESBADEN, Germany — Military working dog handlers, Army combat medics, civilian K9 handlers and security personnel from installations across Germany and Belgium gathered at the Wiesbaden Veterinary Treatment Facility for a training event focused on Tactical Combat Casualty Care and UH-60 Black Hawk familiarization.

Approximately 15 participants—including U.S. Army MWD handlers, 68W combat medics and civilian K9 handlers from Pond Security —took part in the crawl phase of preparations for a larger exercise scheduled for September. The training emphasized life-saving veterinary first aid, prolonged field care, and safe helicopter operations, ensuring handlers are prepared to care for their canine partners in austere environments.

“The three primary goals of K9 Tactical Combat Casualty Care are to prevent additional casualties, treat the casualty and complete the mission,” said Capt. Amanda Zanger, officer in charge and veterinarian at the Wiesbaden Veterinary Treatment Facility, as she opened the classroom instruction.

Zanger explained that the course is designed specifically for handlers and combat medics because they are often the first on scene when a working dog is injured.

“You guys are going to be at the point of injury,” Zanger said. “Our vets are going to be hundred of miles away. You’re going to have to rely on your training and your medics to take care of your casualty.”

The classroom portion covered the MARCH algorithm, canine vital signs, heat injuries, hemorrhage control and prolonged casualty care. Participants learned to recognize early signs of medical emergencies and practiced interventions that could keep a military working dog alive until veterinary treatment becomes available.

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HARTFORD, CT — Luna, a recently retired Labrador retriever, will receive the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s “K9 Quilt of Honor” for her years of service in environmental conservation law enforcement, according to a statement from DEEP.

Luna and her partner, Conservation Officer Alexandra Blackwell, will receive the award and public recognition at the Kellogg Environmental Center, 500 Hawthorne Ave., Derby, on Thursday, July 30 at 1 p.m. The public is welcome to attend.

According to the department, Luna is highly trained, specializing in the detection of illegally harvested fish and game. In December 2024, she tracked down buried bags containing 34 poached striped bass, resulting in multiple criminal charges and thousands of dollars in fines. She and Blackwell received the 2024 Conservation Officer of the Year Award, and an official citation from the Connecticut General Assembly in 2025. Luna, currently nine years old, will spend her retirement in the Blackwell home. Her successor, K9 Scup, has taken on Luna’s duties of patrolling with Blackwell as part of the CT DEEP Marine District.

The K9 Quilts of Honor program was started with the Indian River County (FL) Sheriffs in 2020 by Carolyn and Rich Bluhm to honor the valued work of retiring K9 officers. Since then, quilts have been awarded to retiring K9s in 16 states and three countries. Each dog is presented with a handmade quilt created by local quilters to acknowledge their service and achievements. The Connecticut presentation will be part of the annual Pop of Color Outdoor Quilt Show hosted at the Kellogg Environmental Center. Luna will be the first dog recognized for Environmental Conservation Law Enforcement.

“Our environmental conservation police and K9 teams play a vital role in protecting Connecticut’s natural resources and the people who enjoy them, whether assisting with search and rescue operations, investigating fish and wildlife crimes, or patrolling our parks, forests, and waterways,” said Acting Commissioner Emma Cimino. “Luna exemplified the dedication and professionalism of our K9 program. Her work, including helping to enforce against poaching of striped bass, helped protect Connecticut’s natural resources for future generations. We are grateful for her years of service and wish her a happy, well-earned retirement.”

Colonel Brian Newman, Director of DEEP’s Environmental Conservation Police, said the department’s K9 teams do an incredible service.

“These highly trained K9 partners help protect both the public and our natural resources,” he said. “Although Luna has retired, we know her successor, Scup, will continue this tradition of excellence.”

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Sandra Vernlund first became interested in K9 search and rescue when her father went missing.

He was found to have passed away from a heart attack behind Ace Hardware in Sioux Falls. Driven by that personal experience, her love for the outdoors and her love for dogs, Vernlund began traveling to seminars around the country to learn as much as she could about K9 search and rescue and bring it back to South Dakota.

Now, she’s been serving as the president and training director of Brookings County K9 Search and Rescue for 10 years. It’s a team of volunteers dedicated to searching for missing people.

Vernlund has been working in K9 search and rescue for about 25 years. She’s also a member of Canine Search Solutions based out of Madison, Wisconsin, which deals primarily in cold cases.

Vernlund, who’s a U.S. Army Veteran, now trains other handlers, with an emphasis on handlers more so than dogs.

“The dogs really are not that difficult to train,” Vernlund said. “We can train them. The hardest part is the handlers because they have to go through a ton of training — basic first aid, canine first aid, crime scene preservation. There’s a bunch of other courses in there.

“They have to know FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) standards as far as rubble and disaster work, tying knots, tying ropes. Sometimes you might have to lower your dog down over a cliff. You have to be able to handle stuff like that.”

Even if handlers are unlikely to encounter any one of those obstacles during a particular search, they prepare for the possibility.

Vernlund breaks the training down into roughly 80% of the onus being on handlers and 20% being on dogs. Handlers need to be able to read their dogs, knowing when they’re in scent and out of scent, if they’re chasing a raccoon when a handler might otherwise think they’re indicating that they’ve found what they’re supposed to be searching for. It’s imperative to pick up on your dog’s indication.

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MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCIV) — The Mount Pleasant Police Department has added two new K9 officers to its force, expanding the department’s K9 unit to six dogs.

Police Chief Mark Arnold administered the oath of office Friday to K9 Vaughn and K9 Kee, who are already working alongside their handlers, Sgt. Gary Myers and Senior Police Officer Thomas Plyler.

With the additions, the department’s K9 team now includes five patrol dogs and one dual-purpose dog.

“Our K9 officers are an incredible asset to our agency,” Arnold said. “They find missing people, they find drugs, assist in apprehending dangerous suspects; their value and importance cannot be overstated.”

Vaughn is a 1 1/2-year-old male Belgian Malinois patrol dog trained for tracking, article searches, suspect apprehension, building searches and narcotics detection.

Kee is a nearly 2-year-old female Belgian Malinois who serves as the department’s dual-purpose dog, specializing in tracking and narcotics detection.

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RICHMOND COUNTY — A retired Richmond County Sheriff’s Office K9 who spent a decade assisting with criminal investigations and search-and-rescue efforts has died.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office announced the passing of 832 Colonel Tom Parker, known as “Parker,” a bloodhound who served the agency alongside his handler, Detective Paul McDole.

According to the sheriff’s office, Parker was born April 25, 2015, and arrived in Richmond County in October 2015 to begin training with McDole. After completing his training, Parker became certified through 832 Deputy Dogs, the organization that donated him to the Sheriff’s Office.

During his career, Parker assisted with numerous cases, including criminal investigations and search-and-rescue deployments. The sheriff’s office said one of his first cases involved locating a missing juvenile in Scotland County.

Bloodhounds are known for their strong sense of smell and are commonly used in tracking and search-and-rescue operations. The sheriff’s office said Parker also completed additional training with the FBI, further developing his tracking abilities.

In addition to serving Richmond County, Parker assisted surrounding counties when requested, according to the sheriff’s office.

Parker retired from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office in 2025 and continued living with McDole until his death Wednesday, July 15, 2026.

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When a police K‑9 is injured in the line of duty, minutes matter. Hemorrhage, heat injury, and ballistic trauma can progress rapidly, and definitive veterinary trauma care may be miles from the scene. For years, Tennessee agencies relied on patrol vehicles to rush injured K‑9s to care—an approach shaped by distance, traffic, terrain, and luck.

A New Era for Tennessee’s Working Dogs

LIFE FORCE Air Medical, operated by Erlanger Health System in Chattanooga, has launched Tennessee’s first K‑9 Transport Pilot Program, a formal system that allows flight crews to stabilize and transport injured working dogs under medical direction. According to Stacy Prater, LIFE FORCE’s regional EMS liaison/outreach education coordinator and K‑9 Transport Program coordinator, the program is limited to “working dogs”—including bomb, drug, police, cadaver, and search‑and‑rescue dogs—not pets or general animal transport. It places LIFE FORCE among a small but growing group of air‑medical services developing structured, protocol‑driven K‑9 transport capabilities.

Legal Clarity for K‑9 EMS

The timing is significant. Tennessee’s K‑9 Emergency Medical Care and Transport Act, which took effect April 16, 2026, explicitly authorizes EMS and air‑medical agencies to treat and transport injured police dogs when no human patient requires care. The law gives EMS personnel long‑needed clarity in an area that previously sat between veterinary practice rules and EMS scope of practice.

Sponsored by Sen. Bo Watson and Rep. Michele Reneau, the act was shaped by years of inconsistent practice and several high‑profile K‑9 deaths in which transport delays were a concern. Before the law passed, EMS personnel often hesitated to treat or transport injured K‑9s because of uncertainty about liability and veterinary practice restrictions.

The statute authorizes emergency stabilization of injured police K‑9s, permits ground or air transport when no human patient requires care, provides good‑faith immunity for EMS personnel, defines eligible dogs as “canine first responders,” and directs the Tennessee EMS Board and Veterinary Board to develop statewide training and oversight rules.

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