The phrase “A dog is a man’s best friend” has taken a new meaning for Sheriff’s Deputy, George Minaglia, and his crime-fighting K-9, Vito. The two-year-old Belgian Malinois first came to the police station in August where Vito and Minaglia bonded instantly. The two began training every day, working as a team, before Vito was officially enstated as Sonoma County’s police dog in mid-October.

“We fit together. I feel like I’m working with myself,” Minaglia said in an interview with Sonoma News. “We’re good together.”

Patrol course training requires 200 hours, that the two have completed, as a team, on top of the 160 hours of narcotics training. According to The Puppy Institute, training for a police dog never ends, “Training for police dogs never stops. When they are not actually on patrol, they are training all the time, so they are constantly ready for that day when their special skills will be needed.” In accordance with that, Minaglia trains with Vito every day despite already having completed the necessary training. 

“Every day I work with him,” Minaglia said to Sonoma News. “I want him to be the best dog he can be.”

As a new dog to the force, Vito requires a lot of attention and training. Along with that, Minaglia and Vito are a new team and Minaglia wants to ensure that his new partner does everything with a purpose. The two work together in order to constantly build more trust and learn from one another. This makes it so Vito is always on his game and focused on his job even when he is off duty.

“I open the gate and he runs straight to the car,” Minaglia says. “He loves to go to work.”

Vito has become a part of Minaglia’s family, not only keeping him company but also his other dog, wife, and young child at home. Minaglia explains that although Vito is one of his two dogs at home, the two dogs don’t interact or play much. Vito is a “working dog” and is trained to do a job, not be a domestic household pet. 

“Everything Vito does has a purpose. He’s learning more every day,” Minaglia said to the Sonoma News.

Vito has become not only a search and drug-detecting dog but has also become an obstacle for those who think about making a run from Minaglia and the force. When Minaglia is able to bring him out of the car on call, he takes every opportunity to because it is good practice for Vito. Criminals who are thinking about attempting to get away have a much harder time when Minaglia has Vito standing next to him. However, if Minaglia chooses to not bring Vito out of the car, the K-9 will bark aggressively in the backseat until told not to. This still allows criminals to know that Minaglia is a K-9 unit officer and that Vito can be brought out at any time.

Although Vito is a working dog, Minaglia and he has a very special bond that has been created over the months. Police dogs are trained and rewarded with toys, not treats, meaning that Vito knows exactly when playtime starts and ends. “If a dog will search for a toy, it will search for drugs,” Minaglia said to Sonoma News. A dog’s drive to find a toy and hold on to the toy is a great sign for drug dogs in the force. Minaglia joked with Sonoma News that it is not always the easiest getting the toy back during playtime but that Vito is a “good boy.”