Photo courtesy of Lyon County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Beau Swenson of the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office took a photo together with the Sheriff’s Office’s new K9. Swenson and the two-year-old German shepherd will be going through K9 training together starting this month.

MARSHALL — On Monday, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office announced its newest employee: a two-year-old German shepherd. The new K9 will be undergoing training to sniff out drugs and help track missing people, Sheriff Eric Wallen said.

“We just got the dog on Saturday. She and her handler go to training March 10,” Wallen said. He said the new K9 will be working with Deputy Beau Swenson.

“I think it’s a resource that’s appreciated by our community,” Wallen said of the new K9. A dog’s sense of smell can help detect substances like illegal drugs hidden in places law enforcement officers can’t find.

“I think the public sees the value in that,” Wallen said. “There is still a struggle with illegal drugs in communities across the state of Minnesota.”

The Sheriff’s Office previously had a K9, named Copper. However, Copper and his handler are no longer with the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, Wallen said. The Sheriff’s Office worked with Steve Pearson, at Buffalo, Minnesota-based Performance Kennels, to find and train a new K9.

Wallen said the Sheriff’s Office will utilize grant funding from opioid settlement funds for the new K9.

Both the dog and Swenson will undergo 12 weeks of K9 training starting this month, and they will then have to pass certification, Wallen said.

“It is a commitment,” he said. A K9 dog becomes part of its handler’s family, he said.

There are typically two options for training police dogs, Wallen said. One option is that a K9 can be trained to both detect drugs and to pursue and secure people being arrested. Lyon County was opting for “single-purpose” dog training instead. That means the K9’s training will be focused on detecting drugs, and helping to find missing people, Wallen said.

Wallen said the Sheriff’s Office is reaching out to area kids to help name the new K9. Children in fourth grade and younger can participate in a coloring contest, with the winner getting a chance to help choose a name for the dog.

“It was a fun idea to engage with the community,” he said. Coloring sheets can be picked up at the Law Enforcement Center in Marshall. Completed pictures must be turned in by March 10.