ECSO’s rescue pup turned K-9 officer is ready to serve and protect

ECTOR COUNTY, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- Before coming to Ector County, Daisy, a chocolate lab, lived life in a rescue shelter in Lubbock, awaiting her forever home. Now, the rescue pup turned K-9 officer is living her best life among deputies and jailers at the Ector County Law Enforcement Center.

Typically, a K-9 officer would have cost the County upwards of $13,000; however, when Canine Patrol Deputy Dustin Fowler saw a video of Daisy posted by a rescue group and learned that she was a pro at playing fetch with a tennis ball, he knew she was just the pup for the job.

“Daisy, nicknamed Crazy Daisy…I looked around everywhere and this rescue was sent to us in a video, and we went and saw her, and we liked her, she’s been doing great,” Fowler said.

Daisy’s role at the detention center is an important one, Fowler said; she’s been tasked with keeping jailers safe and the inmates drug free.

“We got her because they were finding some narcotics in the jail. They had reports of possible narcotics being in here and we’ve got a couple dogs that can do that narcotic work, but it’s a little bit easier to have one on site,” Fowler said. “There’s a lot of things that us as officers can’t see. And dogs having the extreme smell that they do, they can see it for us. Things can be hidden anywhere inside the jail. I mean, anywhere. You’d be surprised. These guys sit in here all day trying to find places to hide stuff. The dog helps us find it for sure…it’s important because contraband leads to all different matters of things, overdoses that can happen, people not acting right while they’re inside the jail because they’re on some kind of contraband.”

A lot of training has gone into getting Daisy ready to serve and protect.

“If you’ve got one ( a dog) that’s crazy for a tennis ball, you can teach them to do just about anything you want. Whenever we got her, sure enough, she was absolutely crazy about it. So, a lot of work went into her focusing on that ball…(she) was psyched. She’d see the ball, go get the ball, bring the ball back. We kind of took sight away by hiding the ball. Now she uses her nose to find the ball and then we just transition that into narcotics. Right now, if they’ve got reports of possible narcotics being inside of a cell, she can go inside there and search for those narcotics…Daisy’s trained, she can find them,” Fowler said.

ECSO’s trainers said they began Daisy’s training by using heroin, the hardest drug to sniff out; now, she can locate all narcotics, from heroin, to marijuana, and even fentanyl. Fentanyl is lethal in even tiny doses and could prove deadly for any inmate trying to sneak the drug while alone in a jail cell.

Now, Fowler has turned his attention to training two hand selected jailers who will serve as Daisy’s handlers while in the detention center.

“Right now, we’re kind of working on training these handlers in order to take over where they can use her and utilize her. It’s a lot about being happy for the dog, getting connected with the dog. You know, they feed, water, make sure that she’s good. You know, with the heat that we have now, they have got to make sure that she’s nice and cool. They spend time with her, walk her around the jail, get her used to, you know, inside. You know, most people aren’t used to (being) inside the jail. Dogs got to get that used to as well. So, they’re working on that. And then a lot of it is learning dog behavior. It’s a different scenario from, you know, sit, stay, let’s play fetch to, oh, why is this dog doing that? She’s doing it for a reason. She’s, you know, finding narcotics. There’s a lot of stuff that I’ve got to teach these two handlers. They’re getting it,” Fowler said.

Fowler, who handles his own K-9 who rides with him on patrol, said the two jailers assigned to work with Daisy are in for an incredible bonding experience.

When speaking about the bond he’s formed with his own K-9, Fowler said, “Well, he’s with me 24-7…it’s a 24-7 gig for a canine. So, the bond we have is pretty special. I see him every day. I work with him every day. He’s my partner. He’s literally my partner out there on the street. He does everything with me. I love that.”

Once Daisy’s handlers are fully trained, she will go to work in the detention center and will be ready to serve at a moment’s notice. If you’d like to see Daisy in action, Fowler said she can usually be found at community events and ECSO recruiting events and unlike most K-9 officers who remain unapproachable by the public when out on patrol, Daisy loves to be petted.

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