By Kylie Neel
Lincoln Parish Sheriff Office’s Deputy Dereck Johnston has recently completed the K-9 handler course at USK9 Unlimited with his K-9 companion, Thor.
LPSO Major Landon Hunt had much to say about Johnston completing the course.
“Deputy Johnston started out as one of the reserves and was full time, just about two years ago,” Hunt stated. “He is a very good deputy who is very active and good at what he does.”
The K-9 Handler course was held in south Louisiana, where Johnston built a strong genuine bond with a Belgian Malinois named Thor. During his course, Johnston learned K-9 handling and both the dog and the handler must be involved during all learning tasks.
The relationship between the K-9 and the handler must be super strong, and they worked on this during the time of the course.
Thor is trained in narcotics, apprehension and tracking, so he is dual purpose. Although Thor may be a K-9 at work, he is a good companion at home, Johnston said. Thor knows when it is time to go to work, and when it is time to be a dog at home.
Johnston and Thor will be assigned to Patrol Team 2.
