Zeno is the first police dog Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's office has had on patrol in 20 years.

The German shepherd was found in Pennsylvania, but the dog was born in the Czech Republic on Sept. 10, 2020. The K-9 is a dual-purpose deputy sheriff, which means he can detect narcotics as well as apprehend criminals in pursuits. Zeno's handler, deputy Gabriel Yoder, is a veteran K-9 handler and previously worked with a police dog for Cape Girardeau Police Department for three and a half years.

Zeno and Yoder went though eight weeks of training before beginning to patrol together. The training was lead by canine officer trainer Jeff Bourbon and included narcotic detection, suspect apprehension, building search and obedience training. Yoder said he has been impressed by Zeno's performance so far on the team.

"He's young and has a lot of energy, and not even 2 yet. So, he's still got a lot of that puppy in him," Yoder said. "He's got a fantastic nose and loves tracking. He's really, really good at narcotic tracking."

Zeno, like other police dogs, works a 12-hour shift, seven out of 14 days. Once Zeno clocks out for the day, he goes home with Yoder, who owns two German shepherds of his own. Yoder said the main difference between his dogs and Zeno is the drive they show. When departments are scouting for K-9s, Yoder said they are looking for a dog who shows drive and persistence. German shepherd's are not considered fully developed until the age of 3, so Zeno has another year to develop his abilities and personality.

As of Tuesday, Zeno has been on four shifts with Yoder and has assisted in the apprehension of four suspects, three being felony narcotic seizures and the other a subject wanted for an alleged felony. All cases are currently ongoing.

"The canine helped locate the suspect hiding underneath a trailer, and upon seeing the dog, the suspect gave up and came out," Yoder said. "He's had a pretty busy couple of days. Yesterday we did a school sniff at Oak Ridge, so in the first few days, we've had four or five usages of him."

Zeno will continue to be trained throughout his employment at the Cape County Sheriff's Office. The Supreme Court requires all police dogs to be trained every month for two days, for a total of 16 hours, in order for them to maintain their qualifications as members of the police force.

Fundraiser planned

Department officials will host a golf tournament and fundraiser April 29 at Bent Creek Golf Course in Jackson, Yoder said. For more information, visit the department's Facebook page.