From tracking lost children and wandering Alzheimer’s patients to detecting bombs, drugs, and suspects on the run, the dogs of the Collier County Sheriff Department’s K-9 Unit are all heroes, according to trainer Corporal William Gifford. “In this job, you are either a hero or a zero,” says Gifford. “We either find the bad guy or we don’t.” What is guaranteed, however, is that the dogs and officers never give up. Such dedication and
singleness of purpose makes for a perfect partnership—such as the one Gifford has with his partner, Bandit, a seven-year-old, 65-pound Dutch Shepherd who shares Gifford’s house as well as his workday. “Bandit will lay down and watch TV with my eight-year-old son,” Gifford says. “But there’s no
Corporal William Gifford and Bandit, Courtesy of William Gifford
rough-housing (so as not to arouse Bandit’s protective instinct towardsme) and when he sees me getting dressed, Bandit knows it is time to go to work. He can’t wait to get in the car.” Bandit, one of nine dogs in the unit (four are single-purpose canines trained solely for drug
interdiction and five others handle tracking and bomb detection), uses his keen nose (100x as powerful as a human’s) to ferret out suspects, as he did recently with a pair of burglars who had robbed a bowling alley. “Bandit led me right to the clump of bushes where they were hiding,” says Gifford, who claims his
dog works for the reward of finding the suspect. “Bandit knows what his job is and doing it well is his reward,” Gifford admits; however, the occasional game of tug-the-towel helps, too. “I can’t write him a check, but he does get paid in other ways, like me tossing the ball around with
him,” Gifford says. “And let's not forget I’m the one who has to do all the driving and paperwork.” The dogs are obtained between 14 months and two years of age and then trained for 400-500
hours. Early on, they are matched to a partner, based on the personality of both the dog and the man. “Bandit is the clown dog of the squad,” says Gifford, acknowledging what that says about himself. Dogs to be trained for the K-9 unit should have a strong hunt drive, nerves of steel (loud noises are
part of the environment), and a bold attitude. Bandit has those qualities in spades. “Nothing is going to get in Bandit’s way,” says Gifford, “and he would risk his life for me.” When Bandit is sick, Gifford takes care of him and when Bandit reaches retirement, he will live at
Gifford’s home. But until then, Bandit and his fellow K-9 dogs are on the job and Gifford thinks they are doing good work. “These dogs are very important to our community and help keep us all safe.”
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