MANKATO — When it comes to just being a dog, Murphy, like other canines, is very toy-driven, said his handler, Blue Earth County deputy Adam Suckow.
“He loves toys, not super food driven. Enjoys his cuddles, obviously,” Suckow said, adding that he’s very social and loves head scratches.
But unlike most dogs, Suckow said the 2-year-old pup wakes up every morning excited to go to work.
“He gets excited every morning when I get out to his kennel, so much that anytime I go out to the kennel in my uniform to feed him before we leave, he won’t eat his food. He’s just like no, we’re going to work, so let’s go.”
Murphy and fellow German shepherd Jocko make up the Blue Earth County Sheriff Office’s newest K-9 unit.
“We haven’t had a program here for about a decade. We used to have a single-purpose dog. With the new administration, they wanted to get some K-9s,” Suckow said.
Murphy and Jocko come from Slovakia by way of Performance Kennels in Buffalo, Minnesota, which trains dogs for patrol.
“(They) go over to Slovakia, select the dogs, make sure they have the right temperament, the drive and obviously the social ability,” Suckow said.
He said the dogs started training in March and went through the middle of June for a total of 14 weeks of training.
“We stayed up there five nights a week for 14 weeks, just kind of go in, work on the basics: obedience, being able to heel, sit, down, make sure they stay in that position until being released. We worked on apprehension work, narcotics work, everything that we do,” Suckow said, adding that training starts simple and gets built upon as they go.
Suckow said the biggest piece of training was moving around and using different areas for practice.
“Different buildings, different flooring just so they could get used to the environments. Vehicles around, planes, drones, things like that, so that way when we’re out in the field, if something happens, it’s nothing to them,” he said.
Suckow and other department staff demonstrated Murphy’s hard work Friday with some apprehension work and detection practice.
“They can find articles or evidence, so if someone’s running, and you’re going on a track with them, you can find the articles if they throw any kind of evidence — clothing, guns, drugs, whatever it is,” Suckow said.
He said the department uses old evidence that they keep a log of to help Murphy and Jocko build up their noses.
When Murphy and Jocko do a job well done, they get a reward.
“That’s why you pay them at the end. It’s a reward … They seek that higher reward, that toy, which he loves,” Suckow said. “It’s going to push him to do the commands quicker, faster.”
Suckow said Murphy has been on one deployment since starting out with the department and said he did very well.
Between calls, Murphy sits in the car with Suckow on patrols.
“Obviously, got to let him out to go to the bathroom. I’ll open the screen a little bit, let him see what’s going on,” Suckow said.
And Murphy doesn’t just stay with Suckow during the day.
The pair are partners in crime, and Murphy gets to go home with his handler like any other dog at the end of their shift.
“It’s kind of cool because you bring them home. They’re your family dog. They hang out with you. They hang out with the family,” Suckow said.
That aspect, Suckow said, is important for building a bond.
“It helps with their social ability,” he said. “When you’re not working, it’s time to relax and unload.”
Murphy and Jocko will work with the department as long as they can show that they’re healthy and able to do the job; the average time for dogs to work is between six to eight years.
And Murphy and Suckow’s bond won’t end when he’s done.
“Generally, every place is different, but most places will allow the handler to purchase the dog and then take them home. They get to live out their days with their handler,” Suckow said.