The Cottage Grove Police Department has a new recruit from Poland, and his sense of smell, is superb.

K9 Officer Scout, who will first attend the St. Paul Police K9 Academy with handler Brandyn Graff, is a Belgian Malinois, similar to a German Shepherd in appearance, but slightly smaller and distinct in other ways.

Starting as a sheep herding species in the Malines region of Belgium, the confidence to stare down a flock of stubborn rams, lambs, and ewes is still with the breed, as Belgian Malinois are considered to be “confident, smart, and hardworking,” according to akc. org.

They are also considered intelligent, energetic, and inquisitive, qualities that will go to work with a super sensitive nose to sniff out those fleeing arrest along with drug traffickers, as Scout will specialized in tracking/apprehension along with narcotics sniffing once he graduates the academy at St Paul.

K9 Gunnar, meanwhile, is 7 (human) years old, meaning that he has from two to three years of service left with Cottage Grove before retirement per Cottage Grove Police Communications Manager Jennifer Longaecker, with Belgian Malinois having a total expected life span of anywhere from 10 to 14 human years.

That could mean 28 dog years of retirement for K9 Gunnar, should he retire after ten (human) years in service.