Profiling officer Gunny

When 18-year-old Keauna Brown allegedly shot her boyfriend in the leg at the Red Carpet Inn on July 31, the Albemarle Police Department needed some assistance to find the weapon. Enter Officer Gunny, a police dog trained in explosive and weapon detection. He quickly located the small-caliber revolver—crucial evidence for investigators.
    Gunny, a Belgian Malinois, is one of three dogs on the Albemarle County Police force, and the only one trained in weapons and explosives (the others work in patrol and narcotics). Since 2003, when Gunny joined the team after serving with a state trooper, the canine has been used nearly 200 times, responding to bomb threats, explosives searches and weapons hunts. Bomb threats are the most common call, says K-9 Officer Bill Saulle, Gunny’s handler.
    “It’s generally good not to find anything when bombs are concerned,” says Saulle. Last year, Gunny—trained to sniff out multiple types of gun power—did find a pipe bomb in Scottsville in a large wooded search area.
    Like all bomb dogs, Gunny responds passively by sitting on an object when he makes a find (to minimize the chance of detonation). He doesn’t bark and bite like successful patrol and narcotics dogs do. Another differentiator: Gunny’s initial training as a weapons and explosive dog was more time-consuming than usual because there are more odors to learn, says Saulle.
    Gunny is 9 years old, which means he’s nearing the gold-watch years. Though some dogs continue working until they’re 12 or older, Gunny looks like he might get a nice early retirement. “We’re in the searching phase for a new dog to replace Gunny,” Saulle says.
    In the meantime, however, Gunny remains a valuable police officer. “I can’t tell you the last time he gave a false response,” says Saulle. “When you get the sit, you know you’ve got something.