Deputy Zack Mooneyhan holds the leash of "Yogi" the bloodhound. Below Left: Deputy Craig Williams pauses for a photo with "Cletus," a narcotics dog.

Sheriff's Office adds tracking dog and narcotics dog

The Alleghany County Sheriff's Office now has two new 'officers', a pair of K-9s that are being added to the force.

One of the dogs is trained in detecting narcotics, while the other is a bloodhound that will be trained as a tracking dog.

Narcotics "Drug" Dog

"We had been searching for a narcotics detection dog for the past year," said Sheriff David Edwards. "We wanted to find the best dog possible for a reasonable price and I feel we did." Edwards said the dog was purchased with funds raised through drug seizures, and not by using taxpayer money.

Edwards said the sheriff's office was at a disadvantage before because it did not have a narcotics detection dog, or drug dog, available at all times.

"We can't always rely on a surrounding county to drive here at a moment's notice to perform a search that may take 10 minutes to eight hours to complete," he said. "Having our own dog gives us a better opportunity to locate and seize drugs, money and property from those who deal drugs."

The 17-month-old Malonis, nicknamed "Cletus" by handler Deputy Craig Williams, was purchased from John Hoover. Hoover is a K-9 officer and master trainer with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office in Rocky Mount, Va. The dog was taken to a special training center in Dublin, Va. where it went through a six-week basic training program.

Williams and the dog received national certification through the North American Police Work Dog Association, which is recognized in court systems throughout the nation, including the U.S. Supreme Court. The association is one of the country's oldest and one of only a few recognized by all the U.S. courts, said Edwards.

Williams said the training was difficult and that he and the dog could only have one miss', or incorrect identification of the location of drugs on the course.

 

Get the whole story - read this week's edition of The Alleghany News!