Sheriff’s Office introduces new K-9

Thanks to a donation from a Douglas County family, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office welcomed a new K-9 officer, Bubba, to the team on Tuesday.

Sheriff Daniel Coverley — along with donors Scott and Laure Slothower and members of the Sheriff’s Advisory Committee —attended a welcoming ceremony for Bubba at the Sheriff’s Office in Minden.

Bubba — a 20-month-old German shepherd — showed off his training and skills with his handler, Douglas County deputy Jeremy Cunningham.

“Bubba’s specialized training and capabilities are an incredible resource for Douglas County,” said Coverley. “This generous donation provides a lasting impact, and Bubba will do a great job at helping to keep our community safe.”

At the request of the Slothowers, the dog was named Bubba in memory of their son Ryan “Bubba” Slothower, who passed away in 2007.

The Slothowers created the Ryan’s Keys Foundation in honor of Ryan. The Foundation is in place to raise funds for various charities that work and assist children and adults with autism and developmental disabilities.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit is comprised of 10 Sheriff K-9 teams.

“The K-9 Unit provides an atmosphere of service and safety in the community due to the canine's specialized training and capabilities,” officials said. “Uses of canine teams serve the purpose of crime prevention, crime suppression, criminal investigation, and officer and citizen protection.”

The dogs are used in the patrol and jail divisions.

The dogs are trained with the ability to manage crowds, detect drugs and narcotics in investigations, locate and apprehend violent criminal suspects, and tracking.

“Due to their extraordinary sense of smell, our canines can search extremely large areas in a fraction of the time it would take multiple deputy sheriffs,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. “This makes the job safer for deputies and can save hundreds of man-hours per year, allowing deputies to be available for more proactive policing and give quicker response times.”

The DCSO K-9 unit is funded 100 percent by donations. If you would like to donate, visit sheriffscouncil.org.