Five year old Buck is spending some time with his owner. But when it's time to work, Buck hunts would be criminals. He's not alone. 2- year-old Cigo, Gringo and Xyrus are also up to the challenge.
"We test a lot of dogs for temperament, their nerves, their drives to hunt, to want to find things and work with us. their social ability," sais Sergeant Jon Newcomb with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit.
Training is every week for six months, learning to track a person, sniff out narcotics or explosive materials.
"We progress, basically introducing new odors to these boxes as we go on. As they advance they are going to go into different areas that they would be called upon to search and we teach them to hunt for these odors, but in school lockers, in vehicles, in boxes, in suitcases, " said Sergeant Newcomb.
The deputy and the K9 working together.
"We are a team", said Sergeant Newcomb. "The dog and the handler and we are connected by that leash. And there's a lot of communication going on through that leash hooked through his harness when we are tracking. Whatever we are doing and obviously that's the greatest amount of control, we have physical manual control of the dog."
The sheriff's office has more than 60 police dogs.
