The City of Bend Police Department is pleased to welcome two new K9s to its team. K9 Doug, whose handler is Officer Jeff Perkins, and K9 Harry, whose handler is Officer Leigh Anne Boileau, were certified by the Oregon Police Canine Association on Dec. 21, 2022.
K9 Doug and K9 Harry are apprehension dogs, which means they are trained to locate and apprehend a suspect who is fleeing or hiding. Deploying a K9 can provide a faster resolution to a challenging and dangerous situation, and can increase officer safety.
Hailing from Slovakia, K9 Harry is a German Shepherd that will be 2 years old on April 20. Officer Boileau and K9 Harry started training together in early November. This is Officer Boileau’s first time working as a K9 handler.
K9 Doug, a Dutch Shepherd, comes to Bend from Germany and will be 2 years old on Jan. 11. Officer Perkins and K9 Doug started training together in early November. Perkins previously worked with K9 Bonnie, one of the Bend Police Department’s drug detection dogs.
The K9s and their handlers recently concluded an extensive five-week training, in which they learned a variety of skills and how to work together in dangerous and complex situations. They will continue to train with other K9 teams – from Redmond Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Wasco County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Forest Service – every two weeks as they hone their skills.
Both Doug and Harry come to the Bend Police Department from Tarheel Canine Training, Inc., in North Carolina.
