There’s a new four-legged deputy at the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) and he needs a name.
FCSO is asking the public for suggestions on its social media accounts on what to name the newest addition to the K9 Unit, a black Labrador Retriever who was born on November 19, 2021 and will be fully trained in explosives ordinance detection before he hits the streets in February 2023.
The naming contest will last a week and FCSO will announce the new name shortly afterward via its social media accounts.
After an extensive vetting process involving many K9 four-legged candidates, members of FCSO’s K9 Unit selected the 11-month-old dog from Southern Coast K9 in New Smyrna Beach to join the FCSO K9 Unit. He has already begun his explosive detection training with Southern Coast K9 after getting a clean bill of health from FCSO’s veterinarian.
The new dog will spend the next six to eight weeks receiving imprint training on his own before he’s paired with Deputy First Class Nicholas Champion. The pair will then spend another three to four weeks learning to work as a team before they are certified to protect and serve the citizens of Flagler County.
Deputy Champion – who is a School Resource Deputy at Flagler Palm Coast High School – currently serves with K9 Jax, a 9-year-old golden Labrador Retriever who is also an explosives ordinance detection canine. Jax will be retired from service once the new K9 team is ready, according to Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly.
“It’s always hard to say ‘happy retirement’ to our canine partners,” Sheriff Staly added. “They’re as loyal as they come and they never hesitate to follow their handlers into any situation, including those which put their lives in danger. Jax has served well and honorably with FCSO and I’m confident our yet-to-be-named K9 will do the same.”
Jax will continue to live with Deputy Champion once he’s retired.
The cost of the new dog is $10,500, which was donated to the agency by Dr. Caesar DePaço, CEO of Summit Nutritionals International, Inc. Dr. DePaço has donated for all six canines currently in FCSO’s K9 Unit. That number will remain the same once the new dog takes over for Jax.
