District Seven Conservation Officers with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources have acquired a new K9 unit.
K9 Derby was adopted from Posey County Pound Puppies after being brought to the facility as a stray and never being claimed.
At the time Derby was about six months old.
Derby is a black Labrador Retriever which is a common breed of dog used by sportsmen for both their versatility and drive. The demeanor of the dog, its mannerisms and its willingness to work convinced his handler he and Derby would be a good fit.
The Indiana Conservation Officer K9 Resource Protection Program focuses on three primary disciplines. Those areas include wildlife and ginseng detection, area searches and man tracking.
Starting the end of January, K9 Derby will start formal training which in total lasts approximately nine weeks. Once the initial training is complete, K9 Derby will patrol with Officer Tim Kaiser who is assigned to Spencer County.
Officer Kaiser says the addition of Derby to District Seven is going to be a wonderful resource to the District Seven Community from both a law enforcement and public safety aspect.
He says whether it is finding evidence or tracking down a murder suspect, lost hunter or missing child, Derby is going to provide a great service to the area.
The Indiana Conservation Officer K9 program is in its 19th year. During that time the K9 program has been utilized nearly 5000 times and is responsible for approximately 1300 arrests.
