Mogwai is the newest member of the Williamson County Sheriff’s K-9 unit. Just shy of one year old, this Trailing and Tracking specialist was nurtured from birth, when he displayed desired characteristics. He showed interest in the scent of a human hand before he could even see, and gave chase among his puppy pack when humans encouraged them to run. He has been in training for his job since he was six weeks old.
This K-9 Deputy is a Hanover Hound, a breed descended from and cross-bred with mountain hounds, and he has already proven he can track suspects from 1-1/2 miles. Not only can he follow a scent from heat and chemical signatures left when humans move through, he can also sniff out disturbances as small as broken blades of grass or dry leaves that have been crushed by a person running away.
His handler, Deputy Chris Holmes, says Mogwai makes a great witness. “We let him out to get a sniff inventory, then cast a scent of the person not present. When he locates the subject, while we can’t prove what that person might have done, the court considers the dog’s evidence as undeniable proof that the suspect was at least at the scene.”
Mogwai is put to work for any kind of tracks, but he is most effective during active foot pursuit, or he may be deployed during vehicular pursuit in case the suspect leaves the car on foot. He is also, undeniably, the best help for a missing child or Silver Alert. Deputy Holmes says, “Traces last longer in vegetation and porous surfaces, but they do disappear in a few hours due to heat, humidity, wind, or air flow. The sooner we can be on scene, the better our odds.“
The Sheriff’s Office keeps the dogs’ abilities in mind when it comes to protocols. Mogwai and Deputy Holmes do not participate if a suspect is armed or violent because tracking dogs are trained to find, not take down. And for the safety of suspects, they do not use bite dogs for misdemeanor offenses.
Team leader Sgt. Marco Gomez says he enjoys watching Mogwai train. “Working in tandem, I follow footsteps in the dirt and the trail I know to be true. Mugwai may veer 50 feet off the trail, but I see him sniffing the wind or treeline for stronger traces, and we always converge. So even when he seems like he’s not on target, we trust his instincts and interpret his behavior because he is doing his job the K-9 way.”