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Bobby is a high-profile working dog, seen daily by hundreds of people as he strides down the hallways and sniffs through the courtrooms in the Allegheny County Courthouse and the City-County Building, Downtown.
"People love that dog," said Sheriff William Mullen. He's Bobby's boss, and he's very pleased with the dog's on-the-job performance.
Bobby, 7, an 85-pound German shepherd, works full time with his partner and handler, Deputy Sheriff Maria Watts. He's trained for many things, but Bobby's main job is explosives detection, or what some would call a bomb sniffer.
The two start work at 6:30 a.m. when the Grant Street court buildings are largely deserted. Bobby sniffs all the courtrooms, including trash cans, desks and cabinets.
MORE PHOTOS »Bobby has never found a real bomb, but at least once a week he finds a suspicious package or a briefcase left in a place where it doesn't belong. That pretty much makes his day, Deputy Watts said, because he loves getting the go-ahead to thoroughly sniff the package.
K9 dogs don't work for food. Their reward is praise from their partner and a little special something tailored to each dog. For Bobby, that's a brief play session with his Kong toy -- a bouncing rubber toy that often has a treat tucked inside.
After the courtrooms, Bobby and his deputy patrol the hallways. They sometimes escort judges to and from their cars.
"We move around all day. We're both well exercised," Deputy Watts said.
She's well aware that many people are intrigued with her dog, even though they don't get to pet him or play with him.
"When Bobby's working, he's working," she said, which is another way of saying he's aloof to strangers, as a working dog should be.
"We get a lot of questions about Bobby, especially from the jurors who are brought in," she said. Many people ask if they can take Bobby's picture, and that is one request that can be honored.
"I have never seen a dog who just loves to have his picture taken as much as Bobby does," she said. He proudly poses for photographs, gazing straight into the camera lens.
Courthouse regulars greet Bobby by name, "though most of them don't know my name," Ms. Watts said with a chuckle, "but that's OK." At Christmastime she's touched by the many presents that people give him.
Bobby was bred and born in the Czech Republic and was sent to Germany for preliminary training before coming to the United States for more training.
The cost to buy and train a K9 dog can be $10,000-$20,000. Bobby's costs were covered by a grant from the federal dDepartment of Homeland Security.
In addition to explosive detection, Bobby is occasionally called out to search for lost people.
Five years ago he was teamed with Deputy Watts. A lifelong dog lover, she jumped at the chance to get her first K9 partner.
"He's with me 24/7. This is a great job."
Bobby lives with Deputy Watts and her husband.
"At home he's laid back, and he likes to cuddle. He works so hard all day. Off duty he just relaxes and does as he pleases," she said. He especially loves playing with the family pets -- a border collie mix and a Labrador retriever mix, both adopted from animal shelters.
And yes, at home Bobby gets to eat the Christmas treats and play with the toys given to him by his fans.
Continuing education is an important part of the life of all K9 dogs. Bobby and Deputy Watts train weekly with the Pittsburgh K9 officers.
And now Bobby and 19 other local K9s, and more than 100 police officers, will attend a three-day seminar Nov. 3-5 with Terry Fleck. He retired after 27 years as a police officer and K9 handler in California, and he has been training police dogs and their human partners since then. With a doctorate in education in criminal justice, he updates police officers on the legal tactics involved in using dogs in law enforcement.
The Allegheny County Sheriff's Office and City of Pittsburgh Police are co-hosting the seminar. Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala is paying Mr. Fleck's fee, which is expected to be $6,000-$7,000. The seminar will be held at the Monroeville Public Safety Training Center, which is donating the use of the facility.
More than 40 officers have already signed up. Others have until Aug. 6 to send an e-mail to MCenci@alleghenycourts.us to sign up.
By the way, the Allegheny County District Attorney's office provides more than $438,000 per year to pay for K9 dogs, training, equipment and supplies for 38 suburban police departments and for Pittsburgh police, the sheriff's department, Allegheny County Police, the Port Authority and the University of Pittsburgh.
