In December 2006 I became the K9 handler for the St Francois County Sheriff’s Department. My partner, Bruno, a 3 year old German Shepherd, had been a member of the Sheriff’s Department for approximately 1 1/2 years. I was very familiar with Bruno having worked along side his previous handler on many occasions whether tracking or searching vehicles.

On January 8th 2007 I arrived for training at the Vohne Liche Kennels in Peru, Indiana. The weather was very nice but that would soon change. The first day I was amazed at the things I learned. For almost 2 years I had worked along side Bruno but had never handled a canine. It never crossed my mind as to exactly how much work actually goes into handling a dog and what must be done to control the K9 and create opportunities for Bruno to work.

Over the following 5 weeks I learned so much. Bruno assisted me since he had been through this training before. I learned how to track for criminals and missing children and adults. I learned how to search for illegal substances in numerous environments. I also learned that my new partner would protect me in any situation if the need arises. Over the next 4 weeks the temperature dropped and the snow fell. I worked in as much as 8 inches to a foot of snow and in temperatures reaching the negatives with wind chills as low as -25 degrees below zero.

On February 9th I graduated from Vohne Liche Kennels and am now certified both by VLK and AWD or American Working Dogs. Since returning to work Bruno and I have assisted with several calls including tracking, felony warrant arrests and numerous traffic stops with several narcotic finds. We are off to a great start and look forward to serving the great and honest citizens of St Francois County.