New leash on life: rescued dogs join elite K-9 Unit

MYERSVILLE, MD – Eleven dogs graduated into the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services elite K-9 Unit today, providing additional resources to sniff out contraband in correctional facilities.

The addition brings to 63 the number of dogs used to find everything from drugs to cell phones in DPSCS facilities across the state. Today’s graduates included five dogs whose lives were saved when they were rescued. For the past six years, the K-9 Unit has averaged 93,000 searches annually in the department’s war on contraband.

Over the past two fiscal years, these skilled dogs have sniffed out 1,300 pieces of contraband. The new additions will translate to even more vigilance.

“It gives us more coverage to do searches and intelligence,” said Maj. Gregory Shumake, K-9 Unit Commander.

The graduates attended and passed a rigorous 12-week entry level K-9 academy and course instruction in drug detection. The dogs check visitors coming into the institutions and also scan mail.

“The dogs are huge for us,” said Warden Richard Dovey of the Maryland Correctional Institution-Hagerstown.

The event included a remembrance ceremony for Bella, another rescued dog who joined the unit and recently died in a tragic car fire.