Don’t mess with Shep. The K9, who works for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, had a wild day on the job last week. It was all caught on camera and the video is going viral.
Shep’s partner and handler, Deputy Nick Carmack, pulled over a stolen car with two men inside, while his body cam rolled on. The driver of the car bailed out of the vehicle and took off running. Carmack knew this was a job for Shep, who is specially trained for these kinds of situations.
Carmack released Shep. The canine darted after the guy and ran out of sight down a dirt road. In the police video you can hear Carmack yelling, “Get him Shep! Get him Shep!”
While Carmack handcuffed the car’s passenger he heard Shep yelp. Carmack knew he had to help his partner immediately. “I had to go find my dog. I was worried,” he told Watchdog Mary. “Shep could have been in danger and hurt.”
In the video you can hear the panic in the deputy’s voice trying to locate his dog. Carmack called for backup telling dispatchers he needs to get his dog.
Problem was, there were no other officers in the area and Carmack could not leave the cuffed passenger alone. So the deputy decided the guy was cuffs was coming with him to find his partner.
“He complied and got up with me. I don’t think he was happy about running, he didn’t have much of a choice,” Carmack said. “I knew I had to go get Shep. I was going to find my dog.”
The suspenseful police video shows Carmack's point of view as he frantically sprinted up a driveway yelling for Shep, still dragging the handcuffed guy alongside him. Finally Carmack spotted Shep with the driver.
"Get off my dog bro!” You hear Carmack yell in the footage, telling the suspect to get on the ground.
The sheriff’s office uploaded the entire pursuit to YouTube.
“The driver had twisted Shep’s collar in one hand,” Carmack said. “I think he was choking him to prevent him from biting him. It was putting pressure on his neck. The driver had a bite mark on his leg and arm.”
The video shows the driver finally releasing Shep who returned to Carmack’s side. “Once I got Shep to come back it was a relief and he was good,” Carmack said. “He wasn’t hurt. He just needed a little water.”
Shep, Pasco County Sheriff
Carmack and Shep have been partners for three years. The K9 works and lives with the deputy, so they’re together 24/7 and have developed a deep bond. Carmack was quite relieved Shep was okay. “You’d see a grown man cry if I lost him,” Carmack said.
Deputy Carmck and Shep, Pasco County Sheriff
Shep just turned 4-years-old. He is trained for obedience patrol, tracking and drug sniffing. He will work until he turns 10 and then will retire and live out his life with Carmack. “He’s a huge asset to what I do," he said.
