The latest K-9 graduating class joins the New Castle County Police Department

Krys'tal Griffin, Delaware News Journal
·3 min read

The New Castle County Police Department has four new faces on their team, except these belong to four-legged friends.

In a Facebook post, New Castle County police announced that the latest batch of K-9s has graduated after completing their training.

  • K-9 Nox is a 1½-year-old male Belgian Malinois from Slovakia who is trained in patrol procedures and explosive and loves to play when he is not at work. His partner is K-9 handler Master Cpl. Cory Tanyer.

  • K-9 Fiasko is another 1½-year-old male Belgian Malinois from Slovakia and is partnered with K-9 handler Master Cpl. Mary Digati. Fiasko is trained in patrol procedures and narcotics and loves to play with his ball.

  • K-9 Nova, the lady of the bunch, is a 2-year-old female Belgian Malinois from Germany who is partnered with Officer 1st Class Branden Hartlove. Nova is trained in patrol procedures and narcotics and likes to learn new tasks.

  • K-9 Atlas is a 2-year-old male German shepherd/Belgian Malinois cross from Germany who likes to play fetch when he is not at work. Atlas is partnered with K-9 handler Cpl. Blake Middendorf.

New Castle County Police Department Master Cpl. Richard Blackston stands next to his K-9 partner, Prezzi. The dog died in 2021.
New Castle County Police Department Master Cpl. Richard Blackston stands next to his K-9 partner, Prezzi. The dog died in 2021.

The Canine Unit started in 1986 with now-retired officer Stan Downward and a bloodhound named Jesse, according to the New Castle County Police Department.

Now, there are 14 teams involved in search and patrol work, and some are trained in explosives detection.

Training for the unit is six months long, with each dog being cross-trained to perform searches for missing persons, contraband and routine patrol work.

More K-9 news: Former correctional officer charged with leaving K-9 in deadly hot car at state prison

Each patrol squad has a K-9 team assigned to it.

New Castle County police sent well wishes to each new dog for their first day of patrol, and plenty of commenters followed suit to make sure the newest class of K-9s received a warm welcome in advance of serving and protecting Delaware.

“Way to go! CONGRATULATIONS to all the grads! God bless and protect all the two and four-legged officers out there,” one user commented.

New Castle County Police K-9 Diablo, who died in 2021.
New Castle County Police K-9 Diablo, who died in 2021.

“Congratulations to all these precious beautiful pups. Pray that you all will be safe out there going forward,” said another.

“I’m in love with all of them! They are all so proud, look at these kissable proud faces!” said a user.

Dogs at work!: Why New Castle County courthouse is taking a dog to trial

One Facebook dubbed the new squad on the block as “paw patrol.” Others thanked the newest K-9s, and their partners, for their service.

“Congratulations on all of your hard work to get here! Prayers to always come home safely. Thank you ALL for your service,” said a commenter.

Along with all the support already shown to the newest members on staff, we hope their first paycheck includes a hefty sum of dog treats and chew toys.

More:Fire damages Frankford's Barn Hill Preserve. No zoo animals were injured.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: New Castle County Police Department welcomes 4 new K-9s to the unit