PSO is Proud to Announce the Addition of Three New K-9s
Pasco Sheriff’s Office’s K-9 Unit is expanding, adding three new K-9 teams. All three teams are single-purpose tracking teams, consisting of a Bloodhound and a trained handler. Bloodhounds have an especially keen sense of smell and can follow scents, even after long delays, through large crowds and across diverse natural elements. These valuable skills help our deputies on a variety of calls, such as locating missing people, which is one of PSO’s most common calls for service. This ability helps deputies search faster and more efficiently than deputies searching alone, and helps bring those who are missing home.
The three new Bloodhounds are littermates, who were born on Oct. 26, 2022 in Kentucky. As with all K-9s at PSO, the Bloodhounds were selected based on their drive, personality and how they compliment their handlers’ lives, as all of PSO’s K-9s live at home with their handlers when they’re not working.
In January 2023, the three PSO teams were joined by two Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office K-9 teams to embark on nine months of training at PSO, where they learned tracking and scent detection in PSO’s Law Enforcement Bloodhound Tracking School. Bloodhounds begin training earlier than typical law enforcement K-9s, and the training builds upon natural instincts Bloodhounds have. The two K-9s from Pinellas County are also littermates of the three PSO K-9s.
These long months of training culminated in a graduation ceremony last week, in which the five K-9 teams received their certification. PSO is honored for the opportunity to work with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office to train the bloodhounds and we’re grateful for their partnership. PSO looks forward to continuing our partnership and seeing the positive impact of their work on our communities.
Additionally, PSO’s K-9s and their deputy partners met those who donated the funds to purchase, train and equip the teams. We’re extremely grateful for the generosity of our community, which has allowed PSO to have an expansive and multi-skilled K-9 unit. These newest additions bring PSO to over 40 working dogs, all of which were paid for by community donations. All three PSO K-9s recently hit the road as working teams this week.
Without further ado, meet our newest K-9 teams!
K-9 Dream & Dep. Patrick
K-9 Dream’s partner is Dep. Patrick, who joined PSO in 2017 and was previously assigned to patrol before joining K-9. Dep. Patrick is also a member of SWAT. Dep. Patrick describes Dream as stubborn, yet playful and friendly. He also says Dream goes “100 mph whether at work or at home.” K-9 Dream has also earned the nickname “Chewy” because his favorite treats are anything he can find. The funds for K-9 Dream were generously donated by Ice Dreammm and he is named in their honor.
K-9 Simon & Dep. Leyton
K-9 Simon’s partner is Dep. Leyton, who joined PSO in 2017 and was previously assigned to the training unit. Dep. Leyton says Simon is methodical while working, but playful and loving when at home. K-9 Simon’s favorite toys are water bottles and he loves to be outside. The funds for K-9 Simon were generously donated by the Simon Property Group, who manage the Tampa Premium Outlets in Lutz.
K-9 Spinner & Dep. Schaub
K-9 Spinner’s partner is Dep. Schaub, who joined PSO in 2015 and was previously assigned to patrol. K-9 Spinner may be relaxed at home, but is very driven and excited to track at work. Spinner’s favorite toy is his tug and Dep. Schaub says he’s very active and excited about tracking. The funds for K9 Spinner were generously donated by the Spinner Law Group and he is named in their honor.
Congratulations to the new K-9 teams! We’re excited to see the great work these K-9s will do in their communities and wish them all the best in this new chapter!
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