On March 13, 2017 the Clay County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina welcomed two new K-9 deputies to their department. These formerly homeless Pit Bulls, Sarah and Phantom, were specifically chosen from individual rescue foundations, UniversalK9 and the Animal Farm Foundation, to join the Clay County Narcotics Detection team.

UniversalK9 and the Animal Farm Foundation are both advocates of equal treatment and opportunity for Pit Bulls, and often work together to prepare rescue dogs for law enforcement. On top of giving dogs a second chance at life, the two foundations are on a mission to demonstrate that spending upwards of $20,000 on a pure breed German Shepherd or Belgian Malinois to search and find illegal drugs is unnecessary.

Joining forces with these foundations, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office is helping to break down breed discrimination once and for all. “Even though Pit Bulls get a bad rap in the media, they aren’t all bad dogs and can do great things for the communities they serve,” writes the Department. Captain Josh Litchfield adds that “Sarah and Phantom are doing well and have both successfully discovered narcotics leading to arrests. They have also visited the local schools and some civic organizations where they have interacted well with children and adults alike. Sarah, for one, loves to give kisses.”