Published: August 01, 2009 07:52 pm      

Deputy Kevin Willis and Wilbur

One of the most unique members of the Fayette County K-9 squad is a 100-pound bloodhound named Wilbur.

Wilbur’s a 3-year-old trained exclusively in human tracking.

“We’re the only sheriff’s department in the state that has a bloodhound,” said Wilbur’s handler, Deputy Kevin Willis.

Willis was designated as the county fire investigator when he joined the sheriff’s department three years ago.

“I wanted to figure out a way I could use a dog to help track suspects from fire scenes. After doing research, I found out that bloodhounds were the best for tracking any type of human scent.”

Willis says his goal was to increase the prosecution rate for arsons.

Willis purchased Wilbur with his own money and got a grant from the National Police Bloodhound Association to attend training in New York.

“He did great,” Willis said. “That class was geared toward proper handling, collecting scents and running tracks. We learned a lot of different things.”

Aside from his training in New York, Willis says, Don Kelly of the state Division of Forestry made a big impact on Wilbur.

“If it wasn’t for Don Kelly, I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I have with my bloodhound.”

Willis loves bringing his dog to work every day.

“He’s friendly, he’s clumsy and he’s slow, but he’s meticulous,” Willis said.

“It takes him a little bit longer to get where he’s going, but when he gets there, I know he’s right.”

Willis can take a scent from a fire, robbery or breaking and entering — any place someone leaves a scent — and use Wilbur as an investigative tool to find a suspect.

He’s also used in finding missing persons.

“We get them all the time. Your five-year-old goes off walking and gets lost. We’ll be there as quick as we can and do the best we can to locate them. It takes a lot of time, a lot of training.

“All of the K-9s are an asset to this department. Everybody has their own capabilities that makes the department a whole. There’s been a lot of crimes that have been cleared because of our K-9s, and there’s been a lot of drugs taken off the street because of our narcotics dogs,” Willis said.

Wilbur is rewarded with praise and treats. His favorite treat of all is Vienna Sausages.

“I’m probably going to get a truckload of Vienna’s sent to me now for saying that,” Willis said, laughing.

“He’s the man. He’s a good dog — good with everybody. I’ve never had a problem with him.

“When he’s not working, he’s sleeping. He’s the lover dog. That’s what he does.”

— E-mail: jayres@register-herald.com´