SAN DIEGO — When it comes to public safety, a reliable bomb-sniffing dog could be the difference between life and death.
In this Zevely Zone, I met the new K9 graduates at the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. We went to the Tactical Training Facility in Miramar to first look at the graduating K9s ready to strut their stuff.
"This is Dexter he's a yellow lab," said Deputy Darryl Patmon who told me Dexter is the baby of the bunch. "Imagine a young juvenile on candy who has been eating a lot of sweets that is what he is," said Deputy Patmon.
The next K9 graduate plays the role of the confident older brother.
"This is Archer. He is just shy of two years old," said Deputy Jiovanni Silva. "He is ornery and stoic."
All three of the new K9s I met are Labradors.
"This is Nalla," said Deputy Thomas Nelson. He told me Nalla is the little sister who isn't afraid to speak up. "She is vocal, she is pretty vocal, I'd say she's the most vocal out of the bunch," said Deputy Nelson.
All three deputies call this assignment a lifelong dream.
"Being a K9 handler is the best job in the department," said Deputy Patmon. "This is what I love to do."
The bond between handler and dog is strong. I asked the deputies how much they care about the animals. "Oh, tremendously, I love dogs," said Deputy Nelson.
Deputy Silva added, "It's just the added level of safety we can provide for the community."
Imagine a public event with thousands of cars where a domestic terrorist decides to plant a bomb. Deputies tell me their dogs could detect a device from a mile away. Deputies then stashed a metal box filled with a training odor that smelled like an explosive in a truck.
"I am going to hide it right here right in front of the rear tire," said Deputy Silva.
"Come on Dexter you want to find it?" said Deputy Patmon.
Dexter approached the truck. What looked like work to me is actually a game to Dexter that comes with a big reward and lots of praise.
"There you go, yes, that's a good boy," said Deputy Patmon. Next up it was Nalla's turn. She walked around the vehicle letting her incredible nose lead the way. She sat down next to the box with the odor which is her cue that she found the danger. "Whoa, Nalla that's a good girl," said Deputy Nelson.
Finally, it was Archer's shot to catch the scent. "That's a good boy, that's a good boy, Archie," said Deputy Silva. The dogs scored a perfect three for three in the training exercise.
"Awesome. It's so exciting," said Deputy Nelson. The dogs proved the 'nose' always 'knows'. "It feels great. All of the training that we put in and all of the stuff that we do to see him succeed, that is really good," said Deputy Patmon.
Deputy Silva added, "It absolutely rewarding we are both doing our jobs." The new dogs only have one job which is smelling for explosives and firearms. Other dogs in the K9 unit specialize in tracking, protection, and drug detection. For more information about the San Diego County Sheriff Department's K9 unit, click here.