The Durango Kennel Club and American Kennel Club Reunite partnered to donate $10,000 to the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit in March. The donation will fund the acquisition of a new police dog that will be trained as a dual-purpose patrol canine.

The Sheriff’s Office has fielded eight dog and handler teams since forming in 1989. In addition to the new canine unit, donations from the Durango Kennel Club and American Kennel Club Reunite funded the acquisition of Fenix, a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois.

Fenix works as a K-9 team with Deputy Cody Bosick. Together, the two work as a dual-purpose patrol team responding to calls having to do with apprehensions and narcotics.

Despite rising national criticism around violence employed by police forces, and calls to disband K-9 units, the Sheriff’s Office is expanding its K-9 unit.

“If you do a ride-along with our canine team and see the work that they do, it's invaluable,” said Patrol Lt. Tom Cowing. “You know, working with a dog is a force multiplier.”

The canine’s heightened sense of smell allows K-9 teams to locate missing persons, illegal weapons or hiding suspects.

“We truly believe that canines can, and have, saved lives,” Bosick said.

Having canines present on calls can help suspects calm down, Bosick said.

“Whenever there’s a presence of a canine ... people kind of change their behavior, and calm down. ... They know it’s a tool we can use.”

The threat of getting bit can be enough to get a victim to surrender rather than continue to resist or flee. Canines are the only potentially lethal method of compliance that can be called back if the suspect surrenders before contact, Bosick said.

A Colorado law passed in 2020 requires law enforcement to apply nonviolent means before resorting to the use of physical force, including that of K-9 units. Following passage of Senate Bill 20-217, the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office instated stricter protocols for its K-9 units.

The La Plata County unit trains canines to respond differently to specific situations.

As a dual-purpose patrol team, Bosick and Fenix are equipped to track suspects, apprehend them and locate narcotics. They train for and employ all three responses: bark and scratch, bite and hold, and find and sniff.

The new K-9 team will also support the patrol division.

Cowing said it could take up to a year for the new K-9 team to be deployed.

“We need to select a handler that would be mentally and physically fit for the position,” Cowing said.

Once the handler is selected, they travel to Denver where they are paired with a dog from the Rocky Mountain Canine Academy.

Once the team has been paired, they return to La Plata County where they undergo a weeklong training program before being nationally certified through the National Police Canine Association.

Following the addition, the Sheriff’s Office will have three K-9 teams.

lveress@durangoherald.com