The American Kennel Club (AKC®), a not-for-profit organization, the world’s largest purebred dog registry and leading advocate for dogs, is pleased to honor the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) K-9 Unit with the AKC Canine Officer Program Award.
The AKC Canine Officer program was designed to recognize the extraordinary work that dogs in a public service role for government agencies perform on daily basis to keep our nation safe. The AKC is proud to acknowledge the skill and dedication of these dedicated four-legged officers and their handlers.
“We are strongly committed to protecting the heritage and qualities of working dogs, which is a driving force behind the AKC Patriotic Puppy Program – a program to address the shortage of US-sourced detection dogs by providing breeders the opportunity to work closely with experts on raising candidates for explosives detection work,” said Sheila Goffe, Vice President of AKC Government Relations. “The duties performed by the USCP K-9 Unit are vital to the safety of our nation, and we are extremely proud that five AKC Patriotic Puppy graduates are serving in the USCP! We are thrilled to honor these highly trained detection dogs and their handlers.”
For more than 50 years, the USCP K-9 Unit has helped protect the Congress around the clock, the President of the United States during State of the Union Addresses and Inaugurations, as well as heads of state from around the world. During the concerts on July 4th, Memorial Day and Labor Day, the teams help to secure the Capitol Grounds. To this day, the United States Capitol Police K-9 Unit is still one of the lead Federal agencies for explosive detection.
To nominate a Canine Officer, visit https://www.akc.org/celebrates/canine-officers/.