WASHINGTON — Two new bloodhound pups are preparing for the rigors of police duty in Fairfax County.
They are just a few months old and still in their bonding and training phases but Bolt and Silas are now the newest additions to the police department’s Bloodhound team. After their yearlong training period, the pair will serve the residents of Fairfax County.
The agency purchased the puppies at six weeks old this past August. Bolt and Silas will join Shnoz and Cody, who joined the agency in 2008 at 19 months old.
The Fairfax County Bloodhound program began in 2002 with Charger and Molly, who grew to over 110 pounds. They both served until they retired in 2008. Fairfax hounds are often requested by jurisdictions that do not have a Bloodhound team.
The Fairfax County Police Department says bloodhounds have been a valuable asset to law enforcement around the region as they are trained for both criminal and non-criminal missions. They are also said to not bite when they find a person and are ideal to help locate missing children and dementia patients
The bloodhound team has saved lives and assisted in solving major cases by identifying specific homes and vehicles relating to crimes, according to Fairfax County Police. They have also been instrumental to detectives by helping to quickly provide information on which direction suspects have traveled.
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