The Pasco Sheriff’s Office currently has 31 K9 teams trained in a variety of specialties, which are paramount in keeping Pasco safe. When selecting new K9s, trainers look for at a variety of traits, such as intelligence, obedience, and a personality that compliments the handler. As the unit continues to grow, PSO has introduced new K9 specialties to expand our capabilities and assist the citizens of our community in different ways.
The latest iteration of this is live find detection, and PSO added its first K9 of this specialty in May 2020. As a live find detection dog, K9 Maddie is able to locate people that are still alive and buried in debris or rubble. This two year old Labrador Retriever’s courage, keen sense of smell, and hearing made her an excellent candidate for the team. Her capabilities are instrumental when assisting in the aftermath of natural and man-made disasters. Similar to other canines, K9 Maddie is trained to track through woods, swamps, neighborhoods and buildings, during varied weather conditions. K9 Maddie also gets the unique opportunity to train on PSO’s two in-house rubble pile training facilities, making quality training that much easier.
Her handler, Dep. Robert Lewis started at the Pasco Sheriff’s Office in 2015 and joined the Canine Unit in 2020. Dep. Lewis has been around dogs all his life and knew he and K9 Maddie would make a great team! They have developed a strong bond through training together.
“At work, she is easy-going and just wants to get out and run,” stated Dep. Lewis. “Whether it’s training on the rubble pile, agility equipment or running around on a break, working with her is the best thing I could ask for.”
K9 Maddie passed her Fundamental Skills Assessment (FSA) test in under three months. This test is a state certification for FEMA and assess a K9’s ability to maneuver through difficult obstacles, follow the handler’s directions and locate live humans. Dep. Lewis and K9 Maddie are currently waiting to be accepted to a Federal Task Force to complete K9 Maddie’s Certification Evaluation (CE). This will allow Dep. Lewis and K9 Maddie to be deployed out of state and possibly even out of the country.
Along with live find detection, PSO’s canines are specialized in tracking, evidence recovery, building/area searches, criminal apprehension, narcotics detection, explosives detection and human remains detection. The Pasco Sheriff’s Office also added two therapy dogs last year, who assist our Behavioral Health Intervention Team (BHIT).
Like all of PSO’s K9s, the funds for K9 Maddie were donated by citizens of Pasco County. Ed and Angie Moore wished to honor of their daughter Madison “Maddie” Moore, who passed away in 2017. Madison wished to pursue a career in forensics and the Moores are thrilled that K9 Maddie will continue Madison’s memory for years to come. Dep. Lewis and K9 Maddie will work hard to honor Madison’s memory and keep Pasco safe.