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Police officers often share a special camaraderie with other members of the force, but for several Brazos Valley officers, their partners are a part of the family.
The Bryan and College Station police departments and Brazos County Sheriff's Office say their police dogs play an important, highly specialized role serving the public.
Rudi
Rudi, a 9-year-old Belgian Malinois from Holland, has been Bryan police Sgt. Dean Swartzlander's crime-fighting partner for eight years.
Often, police departments set a maximum age limit for working dogs, generally at 10 years old, Swartzlander said. But the Bryan Police department decides to retire dogs based on their condition. And Rudi is in prime health and continues to do a good job, he said.
Rudi is the Bryan Police Department's only canine officer, but Swartzlander said the department will begin the process of buying two new dogs in the fall.
Good police dogs must have speed, agility and drive, Swartzlander said, as well as a good disposition, an ability to remain focused and a sociable personality -- all traits Rudi has.
"The upkeep of the dog is pretty mandatory because of the seriousness of what they do," Swartzlander said. "You have to be able to control them. It's kind of an on-off switch with him."
Swartzlander said most agencies in the Brazos Valley, including Robertson and Grimes counties, the Department of Public Safety and the Texas A&M Police Department, call for Rudi on occasion. The team is used a lot in high-risk warrant searches and is trained to handle SWAT situations.
"I'd like to think we're making a difference," he said.
Typically, police dogs are trained in tracking, building and narcotic searches, article recovery and criminal apprehension, Swartzlander said. The Bryan Police Department uses Rudi primarily for building searches, tracking suspects and drug searches, he said.
The dog can also be sent into an area to make sure it is safe before sending in other officers, Swartzlander said.
Swartzlander said he and his partner have been all over the state participating in competitions, and have won many awards.
Brando
Brando is the College Station Police Department's only canine officer, but officials said the department is considering changes to the program.
Assistant Chief Larry Johnson wouldn't say what changes might be made but said discussions began before Chief Michael Ikner took over the department June 2.
"We haven't decided on a direction yet to go," he said. "We're in the process of just evaluating what would be best and what we could get the best use out of the dog for."
Brando, a 6-year-old Dutch shepherd handled by Master Officer Patrick McCarthy, is getting close to the age where the department would start looking to replace him, Johnson said.
Brando is used primarily for patrol functions, he said, declining to talk at length about the program because of the possible changes.
"We'll be looking at what we have the most calls for," he said, referring to how the future of the canine unit will be suited to match the needs of the department.
Bak
Bak is one of the newest additions to the Brazos County Sheriff's Department, having served for only six months.
The 41/2-year-old Czech Republic German shepherd is trained to find drugs and track people.
And he only responds to commands in Czech, said his handler, deputy Mike Welch -- unless the command is "no," which Welch said his wife taught him.
"Most of their time was used training me," Welch said, laughing about having to learn the commands in Czech at World Wide Canines in Spring Branch where Bak was raised.
Welch trains Bak in a variety of settings, and the dog's main talent is finding drugs, he said.
"Whenever Bak is at a scene and finds drugs, he will paw at the substance and look at me. He knows where his ball comes from," Welch said about the dog's reward for finding drugs.
"Sadnee," Welch said to Bak, instructing the dog to sit. Bak has learned to open the patrol car door with his nose and jumps excitedly when he sees his handler walk toward him.
"He was kind of rough around the edges when we first got him," Welch said. "The dogs are like your children. They literally get that way."
Bak was purchased after the department had to put down its last dog, Max, last year after the 15-year-old dog developed cancer.
"I tell you what, when we had to put Max down, I did not want to get another dog. It's rough," said Welch, who was also Max's partner.
Welch's patrol car has an aluminum-incased cage behind the front seat that is wired with an alarm. If anything in the car were to fail, the windows would automatically roll down and fans would come on to keep the dog cool.
The Department of Public Safety, and the Bryan and College Station police departments have all used Bak's talents, Welch said, adding that the dog has found drugs every time DPS troopers call for him, Welch said.
Welch said Bak undoubtedly works to the advantage of the sheriff's department.
"I think any department could benefit from at least one dog, no matter how large or how small," he said.
• Cassie Smith's e-mail address is cassie.smith@theeagle.com.
