Monthly Archives: June 2026

Thirty-five years ago today, I graduated from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Patrol K9 School. It was 17 weeks of grueling training where my dog and I learned the basics of man tracking, apprehension, area search, building search, and obedience. There was a State of Florida Standards Examination at the end, where we had to demonstrate our proficiency. We passed and were remanded to our respective agencies for duty. I had never been so scared. K9 School taught us the basics of patrol dog handling in a fairly sterile, safe environment. We tracked and caught fellow handlers as decoys. But our first police calls would be up against real “bad … Continue reading →