The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office added Kye, an 18-month-old male German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois mix, to its K-9 Unit. Kye was born in Budapest, Hungary, and now works with Deputy Chris Indico, whose canine partner Bryx passed away earlier this year following a nine-year battle with Leishmaniasis.

K-9 Kye officially joined the sheriff’s office in March. He and Deputy Indico have together completed more than 500 hours of training in areas of obedience, agility, building and area searches, tracking, criminal apprehension, and explosive detection. Kye earned his patrol certification from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and is currently working on obtaining his explosive odor detection (EOD) certification from the National Police Canine Association (NPCA). Deputy Indico joined the agency’s K-9 Unit in 2007 and holds a certification in K-9 training from FDLE. The duo began their first active duty shift together on August 6 and will continue training to earn additional certifications.

With the addition of K-9 Kye, the unit is now comprised of six dogs and six handlers. A short video featuring K-9 Kye and Deputy Indico can be viewed on the agency’s YouTube channel by visiting www.YouTube.com/SarasotaSheriff.