Sheriff's deputy Brittney Gehrking with the new K-9 officer Kilo.

The Faribault County Sheriff’s Department welcomed their newest and youngest employee to their staff on Wednesday, April 6.

In fact, at only 17 months of age, he is much younger than any of the other officers working for the department. He is also faster and can do many things far better than his colleagues.

He also has four paws and a tail.

Kilo, a Belgian Malinois, is the newest member of the K-9 unit and is paired with deputy Brittney Gehrking who is his handler.

Historically, Belgian Malinois have been herding dogs but have also been used as assistance dogs, companion dogs, guard dogs, and, as in the case of Kilo, a police dog.

Kilo is replacing Zeus, who was the first dog to be part of Faribault County’s K-9 unit.

“You might say Zeus is semi-retired,” Gehrking comments. “He is still available and we are keeping up his certification.”

Gehrking came to the department in 2014.

“I always had dogs growing up,” she notes. “There was an incident at the Golden Bubble south of Wells in 2016 which led me to start gathering information on the cost and training involved to have a K-9 unit.”

She credits her superiors for supporting the idea.

“I had an inkling it could be a good idea and I just needed the courage to ask my bosses. Mike (Sheriff Mike Gormley) and Scott (chief deputy Scott Adams) have been incredible and got behind the idea,” Gehrking says. “I already owned Zeus and had him evaluated by a police canine trainer who said Zeus would be perfect for the job.”

Zeus is currently seven years old.

“Most police dogs retire in that 6-8 year old range,” Gehrking shares. “Being a police dog is hard work.”

She also explains Zeus had OCD lesions (a type of inflammatory condition) in his shoulders which were fixed before he became a K-9.

“He is getting arthritis in those shoulders,” Gehrking explains. “It is not noticeable during exercise but it bothers him more during his cool-down period.”

Besides being different breeds, there is another important difference between Zeus and Kilo.

“Zeus is trained to detect marijuana whereas Kilo is not,” Gehrking notes. “The reason is because if marijuana becomes legal, the dog would, in a sense, become obsolete.”

She notes, however, even if a law is passed to legalize marijuana, the drug will still be illegal in schools and certain other places, so Zeus would be available to assist.

Zeus and Kilo have other skills in addition to drug detection.

“They are trained to find narcotics and they are amazing at it, but, they also do article searches, tracking, and are there to protect their handler,” Gehrking explains. “I have a remote to release the dog from the vehicle if I get in trouble or am being threatened.”

She says the ability of Zeus to track people is second to none.

“I was involved in a high-speed pursuit in January of 2020. A guy had stolen a vehicle and crashed out of my field of vision and then fled the scene,” she comments. “Zeus tracked the suspect for more than an hour before he came to a shed and started showing different behavioral signs. I was assisted by another officer and we found the suspect in the building. The dogs not only look for human odor, they also look for ground disturbances.”

Gehrking shares narcotics detection and tracking are the main uses of the K-9 unit in this area.

“Most of the narcotics calls are from a vehicle stop when an officer calls for help,” she offers. “If the dog alerts, then there is probable cause to search the vehicle.”

Gehrking says the majority of police dogs are imported from Europe when they are a year to a year and a half old and that police dogs can be male or female.

“Kilo came from Missouri and I started training him as a young puppy,” she states. “I use fake narcotics to train him. He is a smart dog. Normally, the dogs are trained to sit when they find the narcotics. Kilo did not have to be trained and was only 14 weeks old when he would sit when he found the odor.”

And what about other people petting Kilo?

“When he is working, I do not allow other people to pet him,” she answers. “If he is on a break, a person needs to ask permission to pet him, just like you should do for any dog.”

She also shares Kilo is a little more intense than a normal dog.

“He needs to be mentally stimulated. I have to keep him occupied or he will get destructive by chewing,” Gehrking offers.

Gehrking and Kilo just completed a four-week training course in Forrest City, Iowa.

“It was held at the Tree Town Kennels Police Dog Training School,” she notes. “It began on March 7 and graduation was April 1. There were a total of five teams there. The first week and a half was spent on narcotics training in vehicles and in rooms.”

Once they were certified in the narcotics program they moved on to tracking and handler protection before finishing with article searches.

“The most valuable part of the dog’s skills is their ability to track scent,” Gehrking states. “They can smell odors through Ziplock bags.”

The training does not stop once the course is completed.

“The training is constant. Besides the training I do with him here, we need to get in 16 hours a month with the K-9 training group in Iowa,” Gehrking explains. “I have to keep training logs and deployment logs which are discoverable by the courts should the need arise.”

Spending so much time with Zeus and Kilo has made her very aware of their differences.

“Kilo is more intense. He will do anything for his toys. His favorite is a squeaky ball,” she offers. “Zeus has very good house manners and can come inside of the offices.”

Gehrking mentions both dogs accept corrections very well.

“They will still test their limits like any dog or child will,” she says, laughing. “When I do correct them, I have to make sure they know what they did wrong.”

Even though the constant training involves a great deal of work, Gehrking emphasizes she still has fun with her dogs.

“I might be a bit biased, but I think I have the best job in the sheriff’s office,” she remarks. “There is nothing better than when another officer calls you and is requesting K-9 assistance.”