Probation’s best friend
Tuolumne County’s K-9 Gus serves as drug, firearm deterrent to probationers
K-9 Gus, a 5-yearold Belgian Malinois employed by the Tuolumne County Probation Department, is known for his sense of presence.
With bristling fur and an imposing gait, he is “pictureperfect scenario of a detection dog,” said his handler, Deputy Probation Officer Aaron Quin, 37.
Quin latched his hand onto Gus’ collar Tuesday morning outside of the Mother Lode Regional Juvenile Detention Facility in Sonora and yelled “find it” as he released the dog toward the fence line.
It took less than 30 seconds of sniffing for Gus to signal that he located something inside of a concrete grate, where Quin had earlier hid a training aid capsule with a shotgun shell inside.
“He’s a very efficient part of our work process,” said Probation Department Juvenile Division Manager Annie Hockett. “A team of officers could spend a lot of time looking for something and maybe find it, maybe not, but Gus gets in there. He could find it within minutes.”
The K-9 has been with the department for about two years.
Quin said he was born in Slovakia and began his career with the Ceres Police Department and was intended as a dual purpose dog. But during his training, Gus failed a muzzling test and could not be certified as a “bite dog,” or in human detection and detainment,
Instead, Gus has a primary focus: firearms, ammunition, and drug (marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin) detection.
“I think he still does give a presence, but I don’t have to worry about him biting people,” Hockett said.
Gus was originally intended for the Beverly Hills Police Department, said Chief Probation Officer Dan Hawks in an email, but when he failed the test, he was offered to the probation department at a lower cost.
He was purchased for $6,688.25 in March 2018, Hockett said, and was renamed K-9 Gus after John Augustus, known historically as the first American probation officer.
Gus has trained with Quin
since November.
“He’s just been an incredible tool because so many of
our kids struggle with drugs and alcohol,” Hockett said.
Quin’s assigned role is Gus’ handler — the dog lives with Quin and spends the majority of his time with him — though he is available for other roles if called upon.
Gus can be kind of a “goober,” Quin said, and is known to ask for petting, treats and attention from his coworkers.
“He definitely loves a lot of attention,” Quin said. “It’s a 24/7 job.”
Still, he’s “not a therapy dog.”
A typical day involves runs out in the field in probationers’ homes, and while they might train in the off-hours at the juvenile division, they are available on an oncall basis.
Gus is available for the juvenile, adult and custody divisions and is the only K-9 in the county trained on firearms detection, so he is routinely called to assist agencies like the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the probation department, Gus and Quin have run through 37 official incidents including area searches, drug searches and residential searches, in addition to almost 158 hours of training since January.
Quin recalled Gus assisting Calaveras County with a run-through on a shed and locating cocaine hidden inside a ventilation system. The department is also seeking a potential collaboration with the Sonora Police Department to search city schools.
“Anybody can utilize us,” Quin said.
At the juvenile hall, Gus is called to run the fence line and search for contraband. But more typically, the K-9 is called to review the homes of adult and juvenile probationers who often have search clauses to ensure they’re in compliance with their requirements.
Gus makes a clear indication when he’s found something, freezing his body and focusing his snout in the direction of the item.
“It’s very obvious,”
Hockett said, laughing.
The K-9 is rewarded with the toy when he successfully locates contraband, which runs the gamut of guns, illicit drugs and their associative paraphernalia: bongs, vape pens, ammunition, or cocaine baggies.
Juveniles are primarily found with marijuana and sometimes cocaine,
Quin said, with methamphetamine and heroin being less likely.
There are challenges to this skill, however. Quin said when Gus is running a home filled with marijuana, it might be difficult for him to locate a gun.
Gus’ indication doesn’t change based on the different items he locates.
The probation department also sees Gus as a potent deterrent.
“You create an image and a presence that
lets kids know that he’s here and looking even if they’re hiding it,” Quin said.
Gus trains for eight hours a month through a contractor.
Hockett said there are four full-time employees of the juvenile probation division. The number of inmates fluctuates in the
juvenile hall. Last week, there were 12, and as of Tuesday, it was holding the maximum of 16.
“Gus and Aaron are doing great with us,” Hawks said in an email.