Flagler County Sheriff's Office asks for name ideas for new bloodhound

Palm Coast Observer
Your Town

Press release by Brittany Kershaw, public affairs manager of FCSO

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help from the community to name the agency’s first bloodhound in decades.

What should this bloodhound's name be? Photo courtesy of FCSO

Dr. Caesar De Paço, who is also the Honorary Consul of Portugal, personally donated the monies needed to purchase the bloodhound for FCSO after FCSO expressed the need for a bloodhound when juvenile Rickey Wheeler was missing for five days last September. During the search for Wheeler, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office’s bloodhound aided in tracking Wheeler and reuniting him with his family.

Previously when a bloodhound was needed, FCSO would ask for assistance from either Putnam or St. Johns County Sheriff’s offices or the Tomoka State Prison, which all have bloodhounds. Bloodhounds were part of the FCSO formerly, but that was many decades ago. While our shepherd K-9s are dual trained for narcotics and tracking, nothing beats a bloodhound’s noise and ability for tracking humans. When fully trained, FCSO’s bloodhound will be used for finding missing persons with dementia, suicidal persons, and others that may need to be found quickly.

“We cannot thank Dr. De Paço enough. This little guy will be a phenomenal addition to our team,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in the press release. “He is in training now and will soon be ready to go to work, but he needs a name first! I think the people he will be serving should help us name him. I look forward to seeing what names are submitted.”

Name suggestions for the new FCSO bloodhound can be submitted on the FCSO Facebook page at www.facebook.com/flaglercounty.sheriffsoffice. The submission deadline is Thursday, April 25, and the Sheriff will announce the new FCSO bloodhound’s name on Friday, April 26.