The day a K9 officer meets his or her partner is a day a lifelong bond is formed. It isn’t hard to under­stand why—though they’ve got a badge and a set of crucial skills, at the end of the day, K9 officers are waggly-tailed, lovable companions that just so happen to be pretty big badasses, too. It’s for all of these reasons that K9s are growing in demand in police departments in the United States and throughout the world.

 Police dogs have a long history in law en­forcement, used since the Middle Ages. To­day, these brave officers are trained in vari­ous high-stakes police jobs, from protecting their handlers to sniffing out drugs, to identi­fying explosives. Of course, these dogs are also vital in searching for missing people, with German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois are among the most common breeds employed for human search applications.

One of the things that make K9 po­lice work possible is the dedication and patience of the dog’s human handler. It’s extremely important that a deep bond is forged because, as all officers know, teamwork can prevent life-and-death situations. Forging a bond between an­imal and officer is absolutely vital. With­out trust, mutual respect, loyalty, and understanding, the important jobs listed above would not be possible. Read more