Sheriff’s office welcomes new K9

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office recently announced a new four-legged addition to their team.

Earlier this month, the sheriff’s office asked for name suggestions from the community for the 15-week-old bloodhound that was donated to the agency by Tamaron Ranch Bloodhounds in September. The top 20 most popular names were put to a vote.

After thousands of name suggestions and over 2,600 votes, the name Copper was selected for the Deschutes County Sheriff’s new K9’s official name. Copper came out at the top with 870 voters selecting it as their favorite name. Copper may have been inspired by the movie “Fox and the Hound.” Some community members recommended this name based on the color of the bloodhound’s fur. Additionally, the name could also refer to the slang term “Cop” being short for Copper, which is said to originate from the copper buttons that officers once wore on their uniforms.

Tamara Thomas, the owner of Tamaron Ranch Bloodhounds in Chowchilla, California, said, “We try to donate a puppy or two from each litter to search and rescue organizations in need. Bob Cameron, founder of Whistles for Life, contacted us about purchasing a pup for Deschutes County, and we had a litter coming up and decided to donate to Oregon. We are really happy when our pups can be used for what their breed is so good at. This bloodhound will be an incredible addition to the Sheriff’s Office K9 program.”

Deputy Donny Patterson, a 12-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, was selected to be Copper’s partner.

Patterson is currently in California with Copper. They are beginning their training this week with a certified bloodhound trainer at an agency in the Riverside area.

“Copper will be trained to track scent. His primary purpose will be to find lost or missing people,” said Sergeant William Bailey, Public Information Officer/Administrative Sergeant for Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. “Donny, as his handler, will be learning how to train and work with the bloodhound, but also how to read his body language and behavior during a track.”

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office offered special thanks to Tamaron Ranch Bloodhounds for their donation, and also to Bob Cameron, for coordinating this special new member of the agency.

Bailey noted, “We would like to thank everyone that helped us with the naming process. It is very apparent to us that our community loves our newest K9 and everyone is looking forward to his many years of service to the citizens and visitors of Deschutes County.”