Gilford's newest police recruit: Meet K9 Hootie and his partner

GILFORD — The town's newest police officer may seem young at 11 months old, but he's ready to serve. Hootie the German shepherd is the new recruit.

The selectboard welcomed him Wednesday night at their regular meeting.

Hootie is the fourth K9 in the 20-year history of Gilford’s program. His partner is Officer Connor Johnson, who’s been on the force for 2.5 years.

Sgt. Curtis Mailloux served most recently as Gilford’s K9 officer and ran the program for eight years. The town's first K9 officer was Capt. Dustin Parent, and Lt. Adam VanSteensburg followed Parent before Mailloux took over the reins and now, following a selection process, it’s Johnson’s time. 

“It holds a dear spot in my heart,” Mailloux said Wednesday night. 

Hootie will undergo an intensive 13-week certification process followed by time spent with the Boston Police Department, where he will be trained for explosive ordnance disposal, with the large crowds regularly flocking to concerts at Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in mind. Hootie then will undergo in-service training for two months with the New Hampshire State Police.

It will be roughly six months before Hootie, the first explosives-trained dog in Gilford’s history, is operational. Following his training in Boston he will be certified for explosive ordnance disposal work at a national level. 

“We’re very excited,” VanSteensburg said.

Hootie is 72 pounds of pure German shepherd genetics. It’s expected he’ll grow to somewhere in the range of 100 pounds when all is said and done. But before he’s grown, Hootie will be training across the state in locations such as Center Strafford, Manchester and Nashua.

Hootie’s mother is Canadian and he’s got a German father. His mother was flown to Germany in order to breed, and Hootie represents the results.

“A lot of training, a lot of hours and a lot of work,” Mailloux said. 

Johnson competed with other officers in Gilford to earn the job, passing physical training tests and an oral board with other K9 handlers from outside groups, providing an independent view of his aptitude. He completed practical exercises with the Hootie so officers and the dog's original owner could evaluate their potential partnership.

“I’ve always been a dog person, my whole life,” Johnson said. 

The process for Hootie to join the department was unique, as far as K9 recruitment goes. Hootie went through his police dog testing process before the department purchased him, using capital reserve funds. But the purchase of a working dog is just the beginning — numerous dog-specific equipment is required, including a customized cruiser. The department has applied for a Stanton Grant, worth around $51,000, to fund those extra expenses.

The town would need to host a public hearing before accepting Stanton Grant funds, if awarded. 

“The town is super supportive of the program,” VanSteensburg said. 

Dogs have traditionally performed a litany of police work at the municipal level, including assisting other officers in drug detection and interdiction, explosives detection, tracking lost or missing persons in remote areas, detecting evidence at a crime scene and even the apprehension of offenders. Common breeds recruited to the force include Belgian malinois, bloodhounds, Dutch shepherds, Labrador retrievers and of course German shepherds.