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K-9 officers John Schouten and Gary Pavone both have something in common, even though they wish they didn't. Both have lost a partner.

After 10 years of working together Sergeant John Schouten's dog developed a bad hip. Since he couldn't really run, he had to be retired. Meanwhile, Deputy Gary Pavone's dog had died suddenly from a liver tumor.

Neither police officer could face working with another dog. So, each left the canine division for some time and went back to regular police work. Today, they're both back in the canine division.

At the time, Schouten's superior officer gave him a choice: "I could get a new dog and stay on with canine -- in which case I would have to give my old dog away -- or I could keep my old dog and go back to being a patrol officer until he died."

He took the second option. He didn't return to the canine unit until four years later.

"I hated to give up the job, even for a little while, but I felt I owed it to my dog for being such a good partner for all those years. He was with me until he died. Then I went back to canine."

Pavone and his first dog, Max, worked together for six years. Pavone still remembers how it ended. "He worked a full shift two days before he died. I had no plans to work another dog. I was talked into it by the sub-station commander here and the sheriff."

A year later, Pavone received his second dog, Groll (pronounced Kroll).

A strong bond is common to all police-dog teams.

Police dog handler Judith Moore and her dog, Danny, are one of eight canine teams in her police department.

"[We have an] incredible bond. I see him more than I see my husband," Moore says with a laugh. But she's not joking. She and Danny work 10-hour shifts, and Danny comes home with her at the end of the day.

The bond is strong thanks to the time the pair spends together and the work they do. Basic training for the team was an intensive 160-hour basic course. And that was only the beginning.

Dogs are pack animals, just like wolves, explains the human half of the team. "You have to establish that you are the pack leader," she notes. It also takes six to eight months, or more, to establish a bond with the dog. A lot goes into creating the best team possible.

Loyalty and trust are two qualities of the utmost importance to any canine team. Again, this comes thanks to time and training.

"It requires an incredible time commitment by the handler and the whole family," says Pavone. "The needs of the dog sometimes have to come first. Groll lives to work. He doesn't settle down until he is in the unit and working or training. This can be stressful at home. He follows me everywhere to see if I'm going to work."

Schouten says it's not uncommon for handlers to be loyal to their dogs, because police dogs are very loyal partners. "They're always glad to see you, they're never in a bad mood and they wouldn't hesitate to give up their life for you."

Trust between handler and dog is essential. Dog handlers are generally sent to "priority-one" situations -- situations where a suspect has escaped and is avoiding arrest. These are often the most dangerous calls, since the suspect is usually desperate not to be caught.

"It can be pretty scary. In these cases, the dog has to trust the handler will be there to back him up, and the handler has to trust the dog's tracking instincts," says Schouten.

Schouten remembers the moment when he learned to completely trust his new partner -- the dog he works with now. There had been a break-in at a department store and the suspect was nowhere to be found. Schouten and his dog were called to the scene to track him.

"By the time we arrived at the scene, there were patrol officers everywhere. It was assumed that the suspect was hiding somewhere in the store because the security guard hadn't seen him leave and all of the exits were blocked by this point.

"I tried to get my dog to go inside to track, but he kept trying to pull me outside. Finally, I followed him out to the side of the building. He ran right through the legs of an officer into the bushes two feet behind him, and came out of the bushes holding the suspect by the arm."

If it hadn't been for his dog, Schouten says the suspect would have been able to hide there until the search was called off because everyone was looking in the wrong place. "I never doubted my dog's tracking instincts again. That was the point when we really became a team."

Police departments the world over use dogs because the animals can do what people can't.

Together, an officer-canine team is very efficient, says Moore. And time efficiency is one of the biggest assets a police dog can add to a department.

Her dog Danny is cross-trained to perform fieldwork and narcotics searches. And he's very good at it. Moore says Danny can search a 2,200-square-foot house, if he has access to each room, in less than three minutes!

Dogs also are valuable in spreading a goodwill message. Often these teams will visit schools and community events.

"When I go into elementary schools with the dog, kids really listen to what I have to say. The dog and I really enjoy it, and I think the kids go away from the experience with a better image of police work," says Schouten.

These officers work with their dogs every day and never fail to be impressed with the animals' talents.

For instance, Pavone's dog, Groll, has proven he has a "good nose" time and time again.

Pavone recounts this story: He and Groll had been called in to help with a drug search of a motel room and vehicle. The motel room had already been hand-searched by police. Some drugs had been found, but they wanted to be sure they hadn't missed anything.

It didn't take long before Groll alerted Pavone to a cosmetic case on the bathroom floor. Pavone gave the case to an agent, who said it had already been examined. Yet when the agent dumped the contents out, he found a package containing drugs.

"The cosmetic case belonged to another occupant of the motel room who would have walked if not for the K-9 search," says Pavone.

Pavone really appreciates his dog. "Groll can locate people inside buildings or outside. He can follow tracks of fleeing criminals. He can locate discarded evidence along a trail. He is great at protecting me and a welcome sight at fights and disturbances. His presence is enough to calm most rational people down. He can locate the odors of marijuana, cocaine, hashish, methamphetamine, opium and heroin."

Now that's a partner!

In spite of the danger of the job and the stress involved in dealing with crime on a daily basis -- in spite of uniforms covered in dog hair -- K-9 officers say they've got the best jobs in the world.

Schouten sums it up this way: "There are those moments when you get this incredible rush, when you realize you really are making a difference. And, of course, I have the best partner in the world."

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