Astro Working Dogs

06/11/2024

We’re devastated to hear of the loss of another one of our favorites, K9 Coba. Please keep K9 Coba’s handler, family and everyone at SLED in your prayers. We’re grateful for all the fun times we had at training with this fantastic team and we’re so thankful for the service they provided to their state.

Rest easy, Coba. We will miss you!

06/11/2024

Our hearts are broken for SLED who have suffered another great loss. From day one this pup had so much heart. Rest easy, buddy.

06/03/2024

officially has a new, hard-working team. 🐅 Congratulations to K9 Dutch and his handler for passing their EOD test and graduating with Astro K9 Academy! We’re so proud.

05/27/2024

“Heroes never die. They live on in the hearts and minds of those who would follow in their footsteps.”

Thinking of those who sacrificed their lives for us on this 🇺🇸

05/18/2024

We saved a very important one for our last day of , our Utility K9s. These guys are multi-talented. Trained in aggression control, obedience, tracking, odor detection, building search, article search. These are the cream of the crop because they have so many jobs!

05/17/2024

You can’t hide from a K9’s nose! 👃🏼
couldn’t be celebrated without our narcotics detection dogs. They are trained to detect various illicit substances, and through their training, they learn to recognize the latest narcotics odors in the marketplace to keep our streets clean. Truly incredible!

05/15/2024

Today’s feature for is the incredible E.O.D K9! 🧨
EOD teams train for every type of explosive scenario you can think of, and the dogs have been trained to detect odors from a wide variety of explosives.
Here you can see one of our current class members training at Clemson University learning to sweep the stadium. 💣

05/14/2024

Today we’re featuring a nosy one for 👃🏼

Bloodhounds are one of the best breeds for tracking, and here’s why:

Their large nose allows for a high quantity of nose receptors, their droopy ears and wrinkly skin help trap odor molecules, and their muscular neck and shoulders allow them to keep their nose to the ground for long distances without getting fatigued.

Designed by nature, and enhanced by quality training. 🐶

05/13/2024

We’re kicking off with a very special feature. He may look like a regular lab, but he’s far from it. Phoenix has a very important big boy job as an accelerant detection K9 and he’s been a great asset to his agency. Arson dogs are used to assist in the investigation of fires and are able to detect the presence of gasoline, lighter fluid, and other accelerants. How cool is that?! 🔥⛽️

05/07/2024

The work never stops! Once you get certified you gotta keep up with the training to stay sharp, and K9 Rudik knows it! He passed his Astro K9 Academy Narcotic Proficiency test for another year and we couldn’t be more proud.

05/01/2024

Let's go, boys!

Here is the first of our three new K9 Officers at GCSO! Pelle, Ares, and Vito have undergone extensive training with their handlers, who are veteran deputies with GCSO. The three dogs are Belgian Malinois brothers who specialize in narcotics detection and tracking. They join K9 Dukat, who has been serving the agency with distinction for three years. This is Pelle, pictured with his handler, Sgt. Brian Delval.

04/29/2024

Our working dog trainer, Jim, joined the National Police Bloodhound Association Spring seminar in Maryland this week for a 40-hour mantrailing workshop. He is currently working with 63 law enforcement Bloodhound teams with eight hours of classroom and 32 hours of field work in a variety of urban and rural settings. We’re proud of the good work Jim does at Astro AND beyond!

04/26/2024

Happy birthday to the first of his kind in the state of SC! We’ve loved hearing the stories of how he’s helped comfort victims in their time of need. We love you, Caj!

04/26/2024

Congratulations team Pelle, Vito and Ares! These three official good boys have completed school and passed their certification for tracking, narcotics detection and article search. We couldn’t be prouder that the streets are in very safe and capable paws. Great work!

04/01/2024

Can you believe we’ve been leading the pack for 16 years? 😱 We feel so grateful and lucky to be part of such a supportive community, and we strive to do better each year, and provide you with the best working dogs in SC! Thank you for being part of this.

03/13/2024

Today we recognize the tireless efforts and salute our four-legged heroes. Thank you to all K9s for everything you do, your work will never go unnoticed. 🇺🇸

03/07/2024

Another great utility team ready to serve with the Astro seal of approval. ✅
We can’t express how proud and grateful we are to be in an industry where we get to train the protectors of our community. Go team! 🐶

03/05/2024

Our boy Joker putting in some work! 💪

02/23/2024

Who do you think is more excited about passing their accelerant detection certification, the K9 or the handler? 🤣
Congratulations K9 Astro and his handler for putting in the work. We’re all proud and excited for your team!

02/16/2024

Our streets just became a lot safer thanks to this incredible team who just finished their class and is ready to serve.

Congratulations K9 Nero for graduating in narcotics, tracking and article search. 👏🏼

01/27/2024

Our current class enjoyed tracking in the Spring-like temps yesterday. Holding that line is much more fun when it’s not below freezing and raining. 😅

01/09/2024

Rain or shine, that nose has to touch the ground! Training despite the weather is how you ensure dogs perform to the best of their abilities under any condition.

We’d like to say great work to this handler as well for working in the rain, and happy Law Enforcement Appreciation day to many others out there who will serve under any condition.

12/29/2023

Service dog Astor came to say hello and receive a little tune-up after spending three months with his handler at a college in Europe. 👋

12/24/2023

Astro-bred pup, Jude, putting in some great work for her community! 👏

The Missouri man went missing after telling his wife he was driving to the store for ci******es, authorities said.

11/29/2023

Thank you for allowing Reba to train at your stadium today! Although her stomping grounds will be a little more of the garnet variety, this exposure is key to her future job.

11/23/2023

🦃 Happy Thanksgiving!

We are extremely thankful for all of the working dogs and handlers that have trained with us through the years. What are you thankful for? Share with us below!

11/20/2023

Help us wish K9 Reba and her new handler luck as they start week two of school off with a bang! 💣

11/19/2023

Happy birthday to this fun guy! 🎉

A very happy birthday to Dukat, our hard-working Belgian Malinois K-9 officer! He turns four today and was such a good sport about the birthday hat, his handler Deputy Cody Thompson says a pupcake is in his immediate future.

11/17/2023

🧼 In light of the dog food recalls due to salmonella, Nitro wants to remind everyone of the importance of washing your hands after handling ANY type of dog food!