Great American Teach In

Blu the Bloodhound made his rounds for the Great American Teach In.  Clearly he's a hit with the kids.  His human partner, Officer Dave Savage, talked to the kids about Blu's upcoming job as a crime fighter and responsible pet ownership.

At seven-months-old, Blu is a heafty 66 pounds!

Water Training Fun

Today the TPD K-9 team spent the day at Adventure Island for some water training.  Even Blu was part of the fun.

Before our friends at Adventure Island drained their pools for the season, they invited the TPD K-9 team along with Clearwater Police Department, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Hernando County Sheriff's Office and the Air Force K-9 teams for some water training.  With all of the water around Tampa Bay, it is not unusual for officers and their K-9 partners to search for criminals and missing persons around ponds, lakes, rivers and the bay.  Water poses a unique challenge for K-9s if they aren’t exposed to it.  The officers and their four legged partners spent the day training in different water scenarios such as tracking a suspect through water and catching the “bad guy."  It is important for law enforcement K-9s to receive exposure to different environments so that when they are put in a real life situation, it isn’t their first time.  

Whoa! 55 Pounds!

That's right, little Blu is not so little anymore.  He's a whopping 55 lbs.

Recently Blu met up with his brothers - also fellow law enforcement K-9s.  One with the Polk County Sheriff's Office and the other with Brevard County.

 

Training with Officer Savage is going really well.  Just a few more months before he'll be sniffing out crime!!

 

Fun with Jada

One of the most important training exercises for Blu is socializing with other dogs.  That sounds like a lot of fun, but it has a purpose.  It's important for Blu to be comfortable with people and dogs since he will be visiting a lot of different schools and when he's working, he may encounter other dogs.  This weekend he had fun with his new friend Jada.  She's a great dane and she's is lots of fun to be around.

Sending off a Retiring Friend

Blu went nose to nose with McGruff the
Crime Dog.  He's a bloodhound too!

Buddy's had a cake with Snoops name on it

Today was a big day for Blu.  He attended a back to school safety event at Buddy's Home Furnishings and it was a big send off for his pal Snoop.  For nearly eight years, Snoop has served the citizens of Tampa faithfully as a search and rescue K-9, specifically trained to find lost and missing children. Over the years, he's visited the State Capitol, rubbed noses with the governor and has been an important liaison for the police department. But his most significant role has been educating thousands of kids in the importance of being aware of their surroundings and staying close to their parents. Snoop's signature bloodhound ears and drooling personality have made him the perfect approachable ambassador.

Snoop's last official day of work is August 22nd. Blu has big paws to fill, but he's up for the challenge.

At just over 30 pounds, Blu has a lot of growing to do to
catch up with Snoop.

Enjoy your retirement Snoop

Blu got to hang out with the kids. 

Blu Training Update

Blu is leaving his paw prints all over town as he continues his tracking training. These practice sessions are helping him distinguish human scent in different outdoor settings, a skill that will soon make him a "top dog." 

On Saturday, Blu tracked 500 yards, his longest distant yet. He was able to identify the smell through grass, asphalt, and concrete. It is imperative for a Bloodhound to recognize a specific smell over common terrain. If not, the dog would hit a road block, slowing down the recovery of a missing person. 

Officer Savage says he's impressed with his pup. They grow up so fast! 

Today Blu and his police K-9 friends stopped by the Seminole Heights "pack" walk to interact with the citizens and give a demo. Forming groups like this are a great way to get to know your neighbors and help TPD fight crime. The Seminole Heights dog walking group is working towards a dog park, but while they walk, they talk about neighborhood issues. 

Blu was the hit of the demo today (although his only skills right now are just being cute). The other K-9 officers talked about basic obedience and what the dogs do. 

Blu Training Update

Blu's training is going very well.  We've been doing some environmental training in the Forum and Convention Center.  This week Blu and I are going to begin some basic tracking training.  He's doing really well with new surfaces and escalators.  He's a confident boy and is on his way to being a great tracking dog.

Officer Dave Savage

Hope everyone had a happy 4th

Blu made it through his first 4th of July celebration.  It is fortunate that a puppy can sleep through all the noise.

I had a great day exploring.  I'm getting used to new smells, new surfaces and new friends.

 

Over the river and through the woods



 
      New smells, new friends

At some point I'm going to have to get used to these ears

I think my media coverage made me look great, don't you?  Thanks Tampa Bay Times for the feature

July 3rd Blu Blog update - busy days for a busy puppy

It has been a busy few days for Blu.  Yesterday he had a trip to the vet, visited the kids at TPD's youth academy and took some much needed playtime with his four legged siblings.

Day at the vet....ouch!

 

              I love my siblings!

Some much needed down time.  The best thing about me is that I can fall asleep right in the middle of playtime

Question from a fan

One of Blu's biggest fans wanted to know when Blu's birthday is.  Well Nola, Blu will be expecting a big birthday cake on April 18th, 2014.  Make sure it's a dog friendly cake with a giant "1" candle for him to blow out.

Thanks Nola for following his blog.

Photo courtesy of Fox 13

Blu's First Press Conference

All eyes and cameras were glued on Blu during his first press conference. While Chief Castor and Officer Savage spoke on behalf of the newest TPD team member, Blu made quite the impression on his own. Check out pictures from the event and a video interview with Officer Savage below!

Blu, going over his "Barking Points" before the press conference. 

Blu is right on cue while addressing the public on his latest activities. 

 

Chief Castor bonding with Blu. 

 

Blu is very appreciative of Richard Gonzmart for lining up his newest job with the Tampa Police Department. Gonzmart has played a tremendous role in helping the Department "swear in" 5 doggie recruits, including Blu.    

TPD Media Relations Spokesperson Laura McElroy interviews Officer Savage and Blu!

Blu's TV Debut on Fox 13's Good Day Tampa Bay

Officer Dave Savage and his new partner Blu made their debut on Good Day Tampa Bay this morning. While Officer Savage is great, lets face it, Blu was the star! Here's a few highlights.

It was love at first kiss and Russell Rhodes wanted to take Blu home.

The floor manager at Fox13 also fell in love, even though Blu tried to eat his work!

To see more pictures of Blu, check out Fox 13's album dedicated to his visit at http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/story/22731173/2013/07/01/photos-tpds-new-k9-visits-fox-13

It's Official. Blu the Bloodhound has a blog - yes a dog with a blog

OK everyone, it is official. TPD’s newest “recruit” has a name and a blog….yes he’s a dog with a blog!  Blu the Bloodhound went home with his new handler yesterday, K-9 Officer Dave Savage.  Officer Savage is new to the K-9 team, so Blu and Dave will be learning the ropes together.  Stay tuned to Blu's blog for updates on their training and of course the growing pains that go along with learning new tricks as a K-9 team.  We'll also "dig in" to some much deserved puppy playtime.  From his first day here with his new TPD family to his first day on the street catching the bad guys, you’ll see it on his blog. 

As a side note, he’ll be making his debut with the media on Monday, July 1^st at 1 p.m…..but shhhhh, we haven't told the media yet.  We need to start working on his “bark”ing points so his interviews go well.

These are his first pictures in his new home.  Officer Savage is getting him used to walking on a leash.  Over the next couple of weeks, the team will head out to as many places as possible to get little Blu used to new sounds and places.  After all, we need a confident dog to chase those bad guys.

Officer Savage and Blu are going to take the next few days to get to know each other, but check back next week for more updates

Making Friends with the officers



The decision is made. TPD's newest "officer." The 10-week old, yet to be named boy is starting to bond with his new human partner. Stay tuned to this blog for more info on our new edition. He has big shoes to fill since his predecessor Snoop retires this year.  Stay tuned for name and training updates.

6/26/2013

Decisions, decisions, decisions, decisions.....which one of these adorable Bloodhound puppies will be TPD's newest "officer."  Stay tuned.