SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT PICKS UP BLOODHOUNDS

JACKSON -- Two bloodhound puppies have been signed on with the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department.

Sheriff John Jordan announced Thursday that deputies had picked up the two puppies -- a male and a female, each 8 weeks old -- in St. Louis.

They were purchased from a bloodhound breeder in Quebec, Canada, who has provided Canadian Kennel Club-registered bloodhounds for police in Maryland and the New Jersey State Police as well as in Quebec, Jordan said.

The dogs will be used for search and rescue operations, and will be able to track lost children and adults and criminal suspects.

"They, of course, have to be trained," said Jordan. "They're only 8 weeks old." The training will probably take six months to a year, and then the dogs will be available for duty.

Two deputies have been designated handlers for the dogs and will begin training with them immediately, he said.

The dogs will be trained for air scent and track or trail work, Jordan said.

Kris Stoffregen and Richard Walker will be the handlers, Jordan said, and Deputy Heath Cashion will be the assistant handler.

"You'll have to have someone to not only protect the dog, but to protect the handler," Jordan said. "These are going to turn into very powerful dogs."

The dogs will work on a body lease "and the trainers are actually being pulled by the dogs," he said.

Bloodhounds have been used since the 14th century for tracking, Jordan said, and all that experience is on their side. "Especially in the case of a lost child or someone who's wandered away from a nursing home, time is of the essence," he said.

Several police agencies in the area have drug-detecting dogs, including Cape Girardeau police and the Missouri Highway Patrol, Jordan said. "But the nearest actual tracking dogs for scents that are over a few hours old are in Farmington, Mo.," he said, and are used by corrections officers at the Farmington Corrections Center.

Jordan said the male pup will be named "Sgt. Joe" in memory of the late Sgt. Joe Matthews of the state Highway Patrol, a well-known officer in the area.

"We checked with his wife and she said she was honored," he said. "We're hoping that he'll do as good a job as Joe Matthews did when he was working in the area."

The female pup hasn't been named; Jordan said the department may sponsor a contest to help decide a name.