The passionate and incredibly powerful K-9s within Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department are trained to attack and forcefully bring down suspects. Often armed in a miniature bullet proof vest and thick fur, they roam the nation’s capital with their heads held high and their butts low adhering to the internationally famed German Shepherd pose.
“I’m a big fan of the German shepherd,” said K-9 Officer Grant Sullivan. “I always had German Shepherds growing up.”
The breed is an American emblem of law and order. They are highly skilled in the classified subjects of patrolling, bomb detection, narcotics, cadaver and firearms, utilizing both intelligence and fitness for a job well done. The life they live is dangerous, making them a compatible partner to the police officers who appreciate their unique makeup, dedication and extended loyalty.
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Holidays such as National Dog Day are just another opportunity for these canines to serve and protect, in lieu of a delicious treat or a pat on the head. Their hard exterior is a public warning and is not to be confused with its soft interior, a characteristic only his master, also known as “daddy,” can see.
“I had always wanted to be a police officer as a child. I had always wanted to be in K-9,” said Officer Sullivan, reminiscing on the fond times he and his father would visit the K-9 training unit in the Northeast corridor of U Street.
Born and raised in Greenbelt, Maryland, Officer Sullivan joined the MPD in December of 1988 as his first job in law enforcement. Having worked in the K-9 division since 1991, he celebrated 25 years of the ultimate man’s best friend companionship earlier this month. Without hesitation, he credits it all to the five German shepherds who stood by his side until the very end.
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“You know, it’s inevitable and it’s hard,” he said in loving memory of his first four dogs in which he trained to become reliable partners. “It still breaks your heart. I ball like a big baby. But you give them the best life that you can.”
It took Officer Sullivan approximately two years to build unbreakable bonds with each of his first four canines. Upon meeting the fifth, things were very different – both its name and the nature of their relationship.
“He’s my baby Boo. We’re both arrogant and independent.” He continued, “Ultimately, [when] I send him into danger, he’s gonna’ take the bullet for me. And I know that and I accept that. He’s gonna’ listen, he’s gonna’ respect daddy but at home, he lives like a king. He’s spoiled.”
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Given the name Boo by a family of international breeders, Sullivan began training the canine in 2012. Almost instantaneously, the two clicked. After long days of tracking bad guys and sniffing the remains of a crime scene, the all-black hound with brown-pigmented eyes and tan legs lays on the Sullivan family carpet to play with his favorite blue toy.
“Most people think police dogs are aggressive all the time, but, no, they’re trained to act in certain situations,” said Lieutenant Felicia Lucas of the Metropolitan Police Department.
The MPD follows a strict system in scouting for pups and training them to become K-9s. Members such as Officer Sullivan favor both the trusted German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois breeds to get the job done, despite the well-known aggression within Pit Bulls, Rottweilers and Dobermans, who are commonly bred to become guard dogs.
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Each pup is presented to the department by request, still youthful and full of energy, at the young age of 12 to 18 months. They are imported with a tiny passport and identification card highlighting their place of origin, which is commonly hundreds of miles from the 68.34 square miles of Washington, D.C.
Many canines within the MPD were born in countries such as the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Germany, Holland and Spain. Officer Sullivan’s second dog, Clif, was bilingual and understood both the Czech and English languages.
While waiting for related government agencies to purchase the dogs, breeders often expose them to various techniques without training the dogs entirely. The responsibility of in-depth training is left to the buyer, while the breeder simply mates a male and female from a good blood line to reproduce healthy puppies.
“In the Czech Republic, it’s just families that breed these dogs and that’s their livelihood,” said Officer Sullivan. “They breed dogs for police work.”
Boo, a now four-year-old patrol dog, was one of the bred canines who became exposed to the interactions of a family and the essence of the outdoors before meeting Officer Sullivan. To show his respect for the breeder’s son, who very much wanted to keep Boo, Sullivan kept the dog’s given name, as he has done with all of his canines in the past.
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Unlike the military canine budget of approximately 800 million dollars, expenses from the Metropolitan Police Department’s K-9 unit is under careful surveillance by Officer Sullivan, who took on the tedious financing task in 2009.
“We try to do everything in-house,” he said. “We train our own dogs. We have a vet’s office that’s like a true veterinarian room.”
While catching a breath from describing his job responsibilities across the spectrum, Officer Sullivan said jokingly, “I don’t do anything.”
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The standard 14-week patrol classes introduce the dual-purpose dogs to following orders, detection and article search, as well as an aggressive fetch drive, which is primarily seen on YouTube where the dog runs at full speed to lock its jaws on a protective human bite sleeve.
“It’s brutal,” said Officer Sullivan. “The patrol class is the hardest class because it’s all physical. You’re doing obedience, you’re doing tracks, you’re taking hits from these dogs that run 20 miles an hour.”
Each year, the K-9s are reevaluated to test their physical capabilities, memory and fitness levels. Despite the average national dog working age of eight years old, some canines within the department have managed to reach the ripe and healthy stages of age 10 or 11. Following retirement, most of the older dogs return home to enjoy the perks of being a family dog.
“Only two or three times I have seen where they didn’t go with the handlers. Normally, the handlers adopt them. I’ve adopted all mine. I couldn’t do it another way. I couldn’t give ‘em up.”
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Officer Sullivan assures his colleagues and family that Boo is his last dog before embracing the benefits of his own retirement. Sullivan and his wife grant the adult German shepherd free range of the house and everything in it. Even Boo is sure to take advantage of his master’s after-hour leniency.
“A dog is a dog is a dog. Any dog will bite,” said Officer Sullivan. “You have dogs that are civil and then you have dogs that are sociable. Patrol dogs are taught to bite. A dog’s natural instinct is usually to be very protective of their handler.”
Lieutenant Lucas agrees.
Officer Sullivan sees Boo as a non-sociable dog. When in the presence of visitors, Boo is attentive and defensive, neglecting any affection.
“I’ve lost pets too but this dog is with me 24/7. He’s with me more than I’m with my family. You just have that bond. Ultimately, that dog will give his life for me.”