No lazy bones: How Wilmington Police train K-9 Officers

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — There are no lazy bones here, the K-9 Unit with the Wilmington Police Department (WPD) works to stay in shape, as they can be called for duty at any time.

Kendall Murphy with the WPD K-9 Unit describes how important it is for these dogs to be in their best shape for the job.

“So, these dogs are like the pro-athletes of the dog world, really. They’re in great shape to be doing what they do, because we do ask a lot of them, especially in this climate here in Southeastern North Carolina. It can be hot, it can be humid. You’ll never see our dog’s overweight, and we also don’t want them too slim either. We want them at a good, healthy weight.”

German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Dutch Shepherds, and a Labrador make up the K-9’s at WPD.

Murphy says these dogs get started at a young age.

“When we usually buy the dogs, they’re usually about a year and a half year old-ish, depending on where we get them from. It takes from start to finish about 3-4 months, depending on the dog, some dogs learn quicker than others.”

Each dog has their own handler.

David Garriques is partnered with the K-9 Jacco, and he says dogs can truly be man’s best friend.

“They go home with us at night, they’re with us at work, so you know they’re constantly with us, so I mean it’s a very strong bond. Typically, he’ll listen to other handlers every once in a while, but he’ll usually listen to me.”