Last month the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) welcomed its youngest full-time members – bloodhound puppies who will grow up to be the best sniffers in the county. While our other K-9s (German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, and Shepherd/Malinois mixes) arrive at about 12 months old, these pups came at the tender age of two months. Their first weeks at the PCSO were all about cuddling and play, but this month the youngsters start school alongside three of their littermates at the Pasco K-9 Bloodhound Tracking School.
Neighboring counties have bloodhounds, but it was once thought that there was no need for them in heavily urbanized Pinellas. However, events surrounding Deputy Michael Hartwick’s death showed that a bloodhound’s specialized abilities would be valuable here as well. Due to witness obstruction at the scene, the fleeing suspect had a long lead time and the trail was too cold for our own K-9s to pick up. However, when Pasco County volunteered a bloodhound from their unit it picked up the scent right away and led deputies directly to where the suspect was hiding. Sheriff Bob Gualtieri immediately realized that bloodhounds would be an asset to the PCSO and the citizens of Pinellas County.
The PCSO hasn’t had bloodhounds since the 1960s, so this is an exciting time for everyone involved, including K-9 Sergeant Mike Kilian. “With bloodhounds we’ll be able to track missing children, or elderly citizens suffering from dementia who have wandered away, or follow a suspect who left the scene of the crime hours before.” The new K-9 handlers went through the same rigorous tryout as their shepherd/mali brethren and got to meet their new partners a few days after they arrived from Bluegrass Bloodhounds in Leitchfield, KY.
“I’m extremely excited to start school with the pups,” said new K-9 handler Deputy Dalton Schomp. Since this is so new to both him and the entire K-9 unit he doesn’t know exactly what’s in store for him and his pup, but he’s already started some basic training of his own. “So far we have been working on his socialization, environmental exposure, and a lot of potty training!”
Deputy Anthony Ashworth is also thrilled to be starting school with his new partner. “The school will last approximately nine months,” he said, which is much longer than the traditional 16 week K-9 school. All of the PCSO’s previous K-9s are trained in tracking and apprehension, and also cross-trained in either narcotics detection or explosive detection. In contrast, the bloodhounds will be single-purpose dogs, using their legendary olfactory sense for tracking missing persons or suspects. A bloodhound’s nose may have as many as 300-million olfactory cells, and their sense of smell is at least a thousand times better than a human’s. They have a powerful tracking instinct and once on the scent will stick to it until they find the source. There are records of bloodhounds tracking a scent for more than 100 miles or successfully following a track that’s more than 300 hours old.
Deputy Schomp’s puppy looks like he’s a natural already. “He’s very interested in scents and uses his nose to investigate everything.” Until official training begins, PCSO’s newest K-9s are getting used to all the sights, sounds, and smells of their new home. A tracking K-9 must be comfortable in any surroundings, even… on ice? “We were able to take him onto the ice rink at Countryside Mall,” Deputy Ashworth said. “And for anyone that hasn’t seen a puppy ice skate, I highly recommend it.” The pups may not encounter much ice in Florida, but the experiment shows that they are adaptable and eager to explore a new environment.
The puppies are developing distinct personalities already. “He’s very curious, mischievous, and playful, especially with his brother,” Deputy Schomp says of his puppy. “He has loved all the attention and meeting various members of the Sheriff’s Office, and fits in well with my family so far, including with my two other dogs.”
Deputy Ashworth says his puppy loves visiting with his brother. “The two of them could spend all night playing. I also have a four-year-old German Shepherd at home. He likes to chase her around and bully her even though he is the smaller one, for now. However, she enjoys it and is excited to have a friend.”
The bloodhound puppies only weigh a few pounds now, but they are a large breed and may reach 110 pounds. They are strong dogs with great endurance for tracking mile after mile. Bloodhounds can be stubborn when following a scent, but off the job they are gentle and affectionate, and great with kids.
The pair have been star attractions as they’ve toured around the agency. They’ll have to get used to being in the limelight, and so will their handlers. When they’re not tracking, the K-9 unit participates in many public demonstrations at events, school visits, and more, and the bloodhounds are sure to be a hit on the PR circuit.
Deputy Ashworth said, “I’m excited about being able to speak at events and I know my K-9 will be thrilled to meet new faces.” Deputy Schomp’s charismatic K-9 may be more ready for his closeup than his handler. “I have always been on the quiet side, but I work hard and let my work speak for the kind of deputy that I am,” Deputy Schomp said. “When it comes to the public responsibilities of being a K-9 handler, it will certainly take some adjusting for me but I’m excited for the opportunity. I think it’s important that the K-9 unit has positive interactions with the public because of the unique bond that can be created. It also allows for us and the entire Sherriff’s Office to build trust and be there for the community.”
Stay tuned to Inside the Star throughout 2023 as we follow our bloodhounds training for their new careers here at the PCSO.
