Utah County K-9 adds spaniel with big energy and a nose for narcotics

Stevie walked into Utah County’s K-9 lineup looking more like a dog ready for belly rubs than a working police canine, but the 2-year-old cocker spaniel was introduced publicly on May 27 as a narcotics-detection dog with serious purpose. Sheriff’s officials said her small size and friendly face hide the kind of scenting focus that can help deputies find cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl and ecstasy in vehicles, rooms and other enclosed spaces.

The Utah County Sheriff’s Office described Stevie as a single-purpose detection dog and said she has a “great personality and amazing hunt drive.” That drive matters in a unit that has been in place for well over 20 years, includes a sergeant and eight deputy handlers, and works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The K-9 team supports Patrol, Investigations, Search and Rescue and Corrections, and the sheriff’s office says dogs are trained for narcotics and explosives because their senses can do things people cannot.

Stevie’s addition also came with a reminder that specialized K-9 work in Utah County is often shaped by private help. Her purchase was funded by 75-year-old Judy Shafer, whose support officials called rare and extraordinary for a K-9 program. Shafer previously funded Ruby, a chocolate Labrador trained to detect explosives, and has helped add other police dogs in her hometown in Oregon. Sheriff’s officials said that kind of backing has a direct impact on the program’s ability to put highly trained dogs into service.

That role reaches beyond a single deputy or a single stop. Utah County’s bomb squad is the primary EOD response for Utah, Juab, Wasatch, Carbon, Emery and Sanpete counties, and the sheriff’s office provides law enforcement services in unincorporated Utah County and contract cities while also supporting other agencies. From its office at 3075 North Main in Spanish Fork, the department is making the case that a spaniel with a big nose and bigger drive can be just as valuable as the more familiar police-dog breeds. Stevie is proof that in the K-9 world, what matters most is not the look, but the work.