He ‘can search a car in minutes,’ Peach County sheriff says of his latest ‘hire’

For the love of a red ball and the praise of his handler, Dyno will sniff out drugs and track people.

“All he does is a game to him,” said Peach County sheriff’s deputy Steven Hood, the dog’s handler. “All he wants is that ball. ... That’s his final reward.

“Like we go to work to get a paycheck, that’s his paycheck,” Hood said. “That’s the only time he gets this ball.”

The 18-month-old Belgian Malinois is the new drug and tracking dog for the Peach County Sheriff’s Office.

He joins the agency “courtesy of the Peach County Local Chapter of Dope Dealers R Us,” according to a Facebook post.

“That’s just drug money,” Sheriff Terry Deese said with a chuckle when asked about the agency’s post.

Seized money from drug busts or drug-related traffic stops becomes the property of the sheriff’s office, and the agency uses it to help fight crime.

“We’re not real happy with our judicial system right now,” Deese said. “Drug dealers are not a priority, so the best way to hurt ’em is to take their assets, take their money.

“And then turn right around and use that money to arrest more drug dealers,” he said.

Dyno’s purchase and basic training cost about $9,500.

“It’s not a burden on the taxpayer,” Deese said. “We’re just taking from the doper and arresting another doper.”

Hood and Sgt. Brian Coggins traveled down to AMK9 in Florida to pick the right dog for the sheriff’s office. They worked several dogs before choosing Dyno.

“I liked his drive,” Hood said. “We meshed real well together.”

Once Dyno was chosen, his training was tailored to what the sheriff’s office needed, Deese said.

The sheriff’s office picked up the dog in late July, and Hood changed his name from Dino to Dyno.

Dyno and Hood still have some training to do.

Dyno needs his national narcotic detecting certification, and Hood, who’s been working with law enforcement K-9s since 2005, needs his state handler recertification.

Dyno replaces Spike, a Belgian Malinois that served the sheriff’s office as a drug dog for 10 years before his retirement this year. The sheriff’s office added K-9s to their crime-fighting arsenal in the ‘80s.

Dyno is a “very valuable asset,” Deese said.

“This dog can search a car in minutes where it would take us an hour to do it,” Deese said.

While the red ball and praise drive Dyno, Hood finds his reward in seeing all the hard work he puts into his K-9s pay off.

“You always have a partner who never leaves your side,” Hood said. “It’s a great — great feeling.”

This story was originally published August 7, 2017 at 6:14 PM with the headline "He ‘can search a car in minutes,’ Peach County sheriff says of his latest ‘hire’."