“You always got a back up partner right there. You can’t get any better than that,” Weaver said. “We work as a team together to stay together. He works to get his toy for a reward.”
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On Pablo’s second day on the job last week, he, Weaver, and another deputy were looking for a suspect in the woods who had run away from the deputies. He followed a human scent and located him right away.
“I was shocked to be honest,” Weaver said. “That was our first track.”
At Pablo’s introduction to the community on Tuesday afternoon, he had a chance to show he can do more than just sniff out bad guys — he can sniff out drugs too.
“He’s trained in different aspects. He can do tracking. He can do drugs. He can do searching,” said Clark County Sheriff Deb Burchett. “He’ll fit in very well with us and we’ll also be able to help the other counties when they don’t have any K9’s available.”
Burchett said surrounding police departments are welcome to borrow Pablo’s services anytime they would like.
“We can help the Springfield Police Division and anyone around the surrounding areas are more than welcome to use Pablo anytime they need him,” Burchett said.
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Pablo, his training and Weaver’s training cost about $15,000, most of which came from community member Blair McConkey and Clark County Prosecutor Dan Driscoll. McConkey donated $2,500, while $5,000 came from the prosecutor’s office. The balance came from funds in the sheriff’s office.
Pablo will have time to work on advancing his skills over the years, as he is still considered a puppy. Weaver said he looks forward to working with Pablo for many years to come.