New Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office K-9 training for her job

Copper, a K-9 for the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, was the loyal partner of Corporal Steven Sella. However, Copper passed away in mid-August due to a gastric emergency.

Luckily, a little over a month later, Sella was paired with rookie K-9 Zoe, a bloodhound adopted through a grant.

“She comes to work whenever I come to work. So whatever my schedule is gonna be her schedule. And then we’re also on call on a 24/7 hour basis,” said Corporal Sella.

Zoe is not just playing fetch or chasing her tail. Zoe has serious work to do.

The new team of Corporal Sella and Zoe will be called for any lost or missing person in Charlotte County. They use scent-detection kits that are also used by families in Charlotte County for at-risk or wandering adults in their families for free.

“That can be stored in the refrigerator at their residence. If we’re called to that residence, the family members can present that to us. It’s an uncontaminated scent article that I can provide to the dog. And we can track them and locate them,” said Corporal Sella.

A bloodhound has a sense of smell about 300 times better than a human, according to the National Institute of Health.

“You’re able to go out there, find somebody’s loved one that is lost and not able to find their way home and reunite them with their family,” said Corporal Sella.

There is no replacing a dog for anyone, but Zoe is no replacement. Zoe is the newest family member and teammate watching over Charlotte County.