The Brunswick County Sheriff's Office identified the need for a department canine specially trained for human tracking. The need was identified based on missing persons within the county in prior years, many affected by autism, down syndrome, dementia, or Alzheimer’s. In the Fall 2019, Deputy Colin Green was selected as the department’s bloodhound handler and began the Virginia State Police Bloodhound Basic School on March 9, 2020.
At first, Deputy Green and the trainer worked with all four dogs in the class. However, Deputy Green quickly developed a bond with K9 Woody who became his permanent partner and they worked solely together until the school ended in June. Throughout those 13 weeks, Deputy Green and K9 Woody trained to work together on obedience, tracking, and always trusting the dog.
K9 Woody and Deputy Green began patrol in June 2020 and responded to 15 calls for human tracking. While on routine patrol, K9 Woody and Deputy Green train weekly. They also attend in-service with the Virginia State Police three days every month which allows them to train at different locations across the Commonwealth of Virginia, with other bloodhounds and their handlers from the Virginia State Police. In-service, which is ran by the same trainer who taught the class, keeps the team certified and dedicated to having set training days each month
In 2020, Deputy Green and K9 Woody dedicated 861 hours to training both while in school and to maintain their competency.
