Raleigh Police Department explosive detection dog, K9 officer win national honor

K9 Senior Officer Michelle Lyman considers herself one of the luckiest members of the Raleigh Police Department.

"We get paid to play with dogs every day, and the dogs are not only our work partners -- they come home with us at night, so they become a family member as well," she said.

The job is extremely rewarding, but it involves loss as well. Earlier this year, Lyman lost her patrol dog, K9 Knox, to a sudden illness. It was not only hard on Lyman and her coworkers but on her three young children, who were all very involved with Knox's care and training.

"We form a bond a little bit different than your average pet," she explained. "Their job is to keep us safe and, quite frankly, we spend more time with them than our family."

Most humans leave their dogs at home while they work, but Lyman works all day with her K9 partner before they come home together.

"When they come home with us, we still are responsible for bathing them and feeding them and caring for them and exercising them on our days off," she said. "These dogs aren't your average pet. They are bred to work and they are high-drive and high-energy."

Working with the dogs is also an inherently dangerous job, Lyman said, explaining, "These dogs lead us to danger in a lot of the tasks they're required to do, and that is what makes them such a great asset to the department."

Some dogs are used for explosive detection, helping officers respond to bomb threats or reports of suspicious packages. They also conduct explosive sweeps before major events at venues like PNC Arena and Red Hat Amphitheater and during big races and events in Raleigh.

Other K9s use their incredible sense of smell to help officers find drugs or track down lost children or disoriented people along with violent suspects that escape crime scenes.

Currently, Lyman is training a new dual-purpose and narcotics dog, K9 Jakko, who replaces Knox. Before K9s can respond to active calls on the streets, they must complete a 14 to 16 week training with their handlers, which Lyman calls a 24/7 commitment.

She also spends her days with K9 Peppers, a black lab whose only job is the very important task of explosive explosive detection work.

Both dogs are incredibly special to Lyman, especially Peppers, who came to her in the pandemic and during a challenging time. Still mourning K9 Knox, Lyman spent two months without a patrol dog during the pandemic. K9 Peppers, who is small but high-energy, was a positive light for Lyman and her family when she arrived.

"She allowed me to continue to do what I do instead of just kind of being on the sidelines without a dog," Lyman said. "So she was really kind of my constant and my solid companion, not only helping me, but my family, through a difficult time."

Lyman said Peppers is a delight to everyone she meets.

"She doesn't allow you to have a bad day," she said. "She is the happiest little dog ... she's high on life. She doesn't know a stranger, she will greet you with kisses. I am very fortunate that our paths brought us together."

In November, Lyman and K9 Peppers had the special honor of representing the Raleigh Police Department at the first-ever U.S. Police Canine Association Detection Dog Challenge. Peppers competed against 19 detection dogs from across the country, sweeping vehicles and seats at PNC Arena for explosives and winning first place for her speed and accuracy.

Lyman was honored to participate in the inaugural event, which was even broadcasted by ESPN. Lyman and K9 Peppers were the only team from North Carolina.

Lyman, who has been in the Raleigh Police Department for 17 years and a K9 officer for 11, said she's eternally grateful to Jakko, Peppers and the other K9s she's worked with who helped make her dream job a reality.

"I don't plan on going anywhere," she said.