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IN THE PRESS >
Canyon County Sheriff's Office finds puppy love
22 Dec 2007
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 CANYON COUNTY -; The Canyon County Sheriff's newest recruit is full of life, energy and enthusiasm for any task at hand.
Although he's a youngster and only responds when you speak to him in Czechoslovakian, deputies say he is shaping up to be a fine addition to the law enforcement agency.
Khan, a 14-week-old German shepherd training to become a tracking and apprehension dog, is the youngest dog to be purchased and trained by the agency.
"This is the first time in the history of our program we've bought a pup," canine deputy Doug Daniels said.
Traditionally, the sheriff's office purchases dogs after they turn a year old and have been trained overseas, Daniels said. Those dogs can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $12,000, and sometimes have learned certain habits that are unsuitable to the work they are intended to perform for the county.
But with Khan, Daniels said the agency hopes to both save money -; the pup was purchased for $1,500 -; and adapt his training to exactly what they need.
"From our standpoint, it's exciting because we're curbing some training problems head-on and we're saving the taxpayers a bundle," he said. "I honestly think this is the wave of the future -; and not just for our department."
Already, the puppy is quite a favorite with the department; few can resist his charms.
Khan's handler, deputy Heather Leavell, said her training with the dog over the course of the past week and a half has been "phenomenal."
"It's been great," she said, showing off the puppy's skills. In just a few days, Khan has already learned to sit, stay and lay down.
Leavell gives all of the puppy's commands in the Czech language, explaining that it's less confusing for the dog in a real scenario when shouts to other officers could be misinterpreted by the animal.
The deputy is also working with a local trainer in group classes to help with the puppy's training. In about a year, officials hope that Khan will be ready to track and find actual criminals, a resource that is almost invaluable to officers, Daniels said.
"It's a tool we like to put up-front. They make searching for suspects 100 percent easier," he said. "Just the man-hours involved in tracking a suspect -; the dogs save oodles of manpower hours. They pay for themselves pretty quickly."
Kendel Murrant
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