K9 Unit

K9 handler training

Our Sheriff’s Office K9 handlers are selected through a competitive process; human candidates must have at least five years’ experience as a police officer.

Once chosen, the dog and handler attend a six-week basic handler’s school. Once the team returns to service in Clackamas County, they spend their time training, responding to calls, searching for suspects and helping out our Patrol division and outside agencies with calls for service.

When are K9 teams needed?

The dogs are mostly used for their extraordinary senses of smell — although their keen hearing and ability to detect movement help with captures. K9 teams respond to the following incidents:

  • Pursuits of suspects hiding from deputies
  • Article, evidence or narcotics searches
  • SWAT calls
  • Residential or business alarms
  • Premise checks
  • High-risk traffic stops or pursuits

The K9 Unit also spends many hours on public demonstrations at schools, fairs, and community events.

Two of our former dogs, Mik and Nero, are featured in their own series of comic books.

2021 K9 team stats

From the 2021 CCSO Year in Review:

  • 7 K9 teams
  • 716 total deployments
  • 826 total activities during deployments (building searches, area searches, vehicle sniff checks, etc.)
  • 818 total hours deployed
  • 170 total evidence items found

Meet the K9 roster

Our current K9 deputy roster:

K9 Abbie

K9 Abbie

Breed: Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd

Specialties: Narcotics Detection

Favorite toy: Tennis ball

Birthday: 3/15/2016

Birthplace: The Netherlands

Language: Dutch

Began Service: April 2018

K9 Ajax

K9 Ajax

Breed: Dutch Shepherd

Specialties: Narcotics Detection, Patrol

Favorite toy: Tennis Ball

Birthday: 9/8/2015

Birthplace: The Netherlands

Language: Dutch

Began Service: 2017

K9 Coda

K9 Coda

Breed: Dutch Shepherd

Specialties: Narcotics Detection, Patrol

Favorite toy: Anything he can tug/pull

Birthday: 04/03/2015

Birthplace: The Netherlands

Language: Dutch

Began Service: 2016

 

K9 Duco

K9 Duco

Breed: Dutch Shepherd

Specialties: Patrol, Narcotics Detection

Favorite toy: Jute/Kong

Birthday: 3/5/2017

Birthplace: The Netherlands

Language: Dutch

Began Service: 2018

K9 Urban

K9 Urban

Breed: Belgian Malinois

Specialties: Patrol, Detection

Favorite toy: Jute toy or large tree branches

Birthday: 8/20/2015

Birthplace: The Netherlands

Language: Dutch

Began Service: 2016

 

K9 Valli

K9 Valli

Breed: Dutch Shepherd

Specialties: Patrol, Narcotics Detection

Favorite toy: Tennis balls

Birthday: 02/05/2016

Birthplace: Germany

Language: German

Began Service: 2017 

K9 Yukon

K9 Yukon

Breed: Belgian Malinois / Dutch Shepherd mix

Specialties: Patrol, Electronic Storage Device (ESD) Detection

Favorite toy: "Any ball attached to a string"

Birthday: 06/18/2020

Birthplace: The Netherlands

Language: Dutch

Began Service: 2022 

K9 Gregor

K9 Gregor

Breed: Wirehaired Pointer / Black Labrador

Specialty: Narcotics Detection

Favorite Toy: Squeaky ball

Birthday: 5/31/22

Birthplace: Ireland

Language: English

Began Service: 2024

Friends of Clackamas K9

This non-profit organization raises funds to pay for medical and other expenses for retired Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office K9s. They sell plushies and keep a calendar of K9 appearances at special events.