For years, Pasco Sheriff's Office bloodhounds have tracked missing people and criminal suspects through woods, neighborhoods and other challenging terrain. Soon, they will have an added layer of protection.
Six bloodhounds with the sheriff's office will receive bullet and stab-resistant vests through a donation from the nonprofit organization Vested Interest in K9s.
WATCH: Pasco bloodhounds, used to track missing people and suspects, will wear protective vests for the first time
Deputy Christina Demas, one of the handlers, spoke with Tampa Bay 28's Pasco County reporter, Erik Waxler, about the equipment and how it will protect the dogs when searches lead them into potentially dangerous situations.
“These vests are huge to us because now I feel a little more safer going into something like that because he's safe,” Demas said.
The sheriff's office said it will be the first time its bloodhounds have been equipped with protective vests, similar to what the patrol dogs already wear. Each vest costs about $1,800 and is being funded through donations.
According to handlers, bloodhounds often work cases several hours after a person has disappeared.
“Usually we have 5-6 hour delays. Sometime longer. The longer to them is better because actually the smell is stronger on the ground,” Demas said.
The newest generation of tracking dogs includes Cletus, a bloodhound known for his laid-back personality off duty.
“We are going through our terrible twos right now,” Demas said.
“This is basically what you deal with. We go, go, go, and then we collapse.”
Despite his relaxed demeanor, Cletus has proven effective in the field. Demas said his first successful track led deputies to a murder suspect who had been hiding for hours.
“A guy shot somebody five times and fled. We were called out five hours after the fact. And he actually found him hiding in the bushes,” she said.
Like many working dogs, Cletus receives a reward after successful searches. While some dogs prefer toys, his reward of choice is a serving of Spam.
“He loves Spam. It’s a single serving of Spam that he gets. He knows definitely that he has found the person,” Demas said.
Senior K9 Training Analyst Bridget Coyman said the agency expects the dogs to adapt well to the new equipment, although officials will monitor how they handle wearing the vests in Florida's heat.
“We also have to weigh the fact that they are really large dogs, and it’s really hot in Florida. So it’s kind of a trial thing also just to see how they do with it, which we assume they are going to do very well,” Coyman said.
The Pasco Sheriff's Office has nearly 60 dogs in its K9 unit, including six bloodhounds. The protective vests are expected to arrive within the next 10 weeks.
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