Who says play and work don’t mix? Whatcom Humane Society finds Dixie a special home
The next time you have to spell “B-A-L-L” around the family dog, remember his or her love for playing could pay off — it certainly did for Dixie.
Dixie, a 2½-year-old lab/border collie mix, was adopted from the Whatcom Human Society by the Washington State Patrol on Wednesday, July 22, and plans are to train her for its K9 program, according to a Facebook post by the Humane Society. The post already has nearly 60 comments and 50 shares.
Dixie was surrendered to the shelter because of her “incredible level of energy and activity,” Whatcom Humane Society Director Laura Clark told The Bellingham Herald in an email, but that ended up making her “an ideal candidate for K9 work.”
Members of the state patrol stopped by the Division Street shelter to meet Dixie on Wednesday morning, according to the post.
“They were looking for super tennis ball obsessed dogs that might be a good fit for their K9 program (they use tennis balls as a reward during narcotic and explosive detection training),” the post read. “They found a great match in this smart girl, who will do just about anything to play ball.”
The state patrol members adopted Dixie and left to start her journey as a law enforcement K9.
“Good Job Dixie — we are so proud of you!!!” the post read.
The Washington State Patrol has one the largest non-federal K9 programs in the country, Trooper Anthony Reese told The Bellingham Herald, with narcotics-sniffing dogs serving on the roads with troopers and bomb-sniffing dogs working in the Homeland Security Division, at areas such as ferry terminals. As of last August, the State Patrol had 62 working K9 teams — 39 in the Homeland Security Division and 23 in narcotics.
If Dixie gets targeted for narcotics work, she can expect between 160 and 200 hours of training in consecutive weeks, based on the level of experience of her handler, Reese said. Explosive detection K9s get between 320 and 400 hours of training.
“WHS has worked with various law enforcement agencies in the past to place shelter dogs,” Clark wrote. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for all parties — two- and four-legged.”
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
