When the newest four-legged officers declined to comment, UVA Today turned to Winter and Luna’s handlers to learn more about the dogs, who both weigh in at about 50 pounds.
K-9 Officer Wallace Goode works with Winter and says, “She is a ball of energy and loves to be loved. She’s an excellent working dog. She can differentiate between ‘Oh, it’s love time’ and ‘Oh, it’s time to go to work.’”
Goode and his colleague, K-9 Officer Kalin Decker, recently returned from Jackson Springs, North Carolina, where they went through a month of handler training with Winter and Luna.
Now that they are back in Charlottesville, the officers and dogs are conducting mock searches for explosives like dynamite, smokeless powder, ammonium nitrate, TNT and black powder. Winter and Luna can also detect guns and shell casings. “When they smell it, you’ll know it,” said Goode.