A man and his dog, K-9 partnership personal goal for Deputy Jeremy Evans, 'He’s a part of the family now'

“I’ve always wanted to do it, and the time was never really right,” Evans said. “I had other dogs at home. [former] Sheriff Carpenter approached me and asked me if I would be interested and I said ‘Sure’… We still do the same duties that any other [deputy], just caring for the dog is a little bit more. He’s used for anybody in the county, not just me.”

Jake is currently the department’s only canine, as the county’s other two units are retired, either due to age or leaving the department with their partners.

“The dog retires unless there are certain circumstances like the dog is young and an officer would resign or something,” Evans said. “Ultimately, he’s the county’s dog, and it’s up to the sheriff. As far as the dogs here in this department, they’ve always gone with the handlers themselves.”

As a drug dog, Jake goes with Evans on calls to search for any traces of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines.

Jake hunts for the smell, checking each nook and cranny he can find where the drugs might be located. Once he finds what he’s looking for, Jake sits in place, snout pointing in the direction of the smell.

“If another officer or deputy had a vehicle stopped, and they want to look into it a little bit more, if it’s a known drug user or it’s somebody who they’ve had past dealings with, then they may want to have the dog come out and he’ll can around the vehicle,” Evans said.

However, Evans said that Jake doesn’t exactly know what he’s smelling for, only that he’s been trained to hunt for very specific things. Evans said that, all Jake knows is that if he finds the smell, he gets to play fetch with a tennis ball that Evans carries on his person.

“The dog lives for that ball,” Evans said. “That’s what he’s working for. He doesn’t know he’s looking for drugs, he’s just looking for that toy. He’s trained so that when he finds that certain scent.”

While not an attack dog, Evans said that Jake doesn’t like large crowds and isn’t exactly happy to meet new people, although he does get along with Evans’s wife and children.

Evans said that, to become a police dog, Jake had to undergo two years of training before he was deemed fit to serve. Once Evans was chosen to be with the canine, he was then brought in the last few weeks of Jake’s training so the two could bond.

“When they brought me in, it was more of just teaching me how to interact with the dog and showing me how the dog works, and to let the dog do his job,” Evans said.

Evans said that the county pays roughly $6,000 to get each dog trained and certified, but it is well-worth the cost. Like other dogs, Jake will likely stay with Evans throughout his service to the county, and the two will hopefully be solving case after case in the years to come.

“He’s with me all the time,” Evans said. “The opportunity came, and it worked out. He’s been a great dog… He’s a part of the family now.”