ST. JOSEPH COUNTY — A rescue dog is now part of the K9 police dog team on the St Joseph County Sheriff’s Department. He isn’t sniffing out drugs or chasing suspects. Instead, his main job is connecting.

There is a new sheriff in town. He spends a lot of time napping and kissing his coworkers.

Sheriff Bruno is a 6-year-old American Bulldog mix. He was rescued a few years ago by the Lake County Sheriff’s Department and started at the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department in January.

His handler is Special Deputy Joe Hamer. “He is by far the best dog I have had in my lifetime and he will never be replaced that is for sure,” says Hamer.

Bruno was adopted from a shelter by the Lake County Sheriff’s Department. At the time he was malnourished and in need of medical care. Pictures from that time show how skinny he was.

He has filled out in the years since thanks to the attention and treats he gets every day.

“You’ll be discussing something and you will hear a dig at the door — a scratch. The door pops open and he will come in here and have a seat in the green chair and look at us,” says Chief Todd Shepherd, at the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department.

It is that personality — that comfort that has been Bruno’s calling.

When he was in Lake County he was a law enforcement comfort dog. Hamer believes Bruno was the first law enforcement comfort dog in the state. Bruno has been to every officer funeral in Indiana. He connects with families — particularly children.

“He will actually gravitate toward people when they are sad. When they cry he goes to them,” says Hamer, “that is not something that we taught him. That is just him. He does all that on his own. He reacts that way.”

Over the past several months, Sheriff Bruno has spent his time connecting with the community here in St. Joseph County.

Just this past weekend, he visited the Charles Black Center in South Bend, went to the movies with Sheriff Redman and a group of local kids, participated in the New Carlisle Parade and went to a memorial service for a fellow police K9 in Bremen.

Bruno is so busy, you’ll likely see him around town at some point smiling as he does his police dog duties.

“That is how he is. His demeanor brings joy immediately and that is what we want to encourage as a department to build our relationship with the community,” says Sheriff Bill Redman.

When Bruno is not outside patrolling the streets, he is inside doing the important work of roaming the halls of the Sheriff’s Department and taking the occasional nap.

His actual date of birth is May 15th – National Law Enforcement Memorial Day. This year he was the first dog ever to place a flower for K9 officers killed at the Peace Officers’ Memorial Service in Washington, D.C.

Sheriff Bruno has his own facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/knine.bruno

Source: WSBT