Officer Brandon King stands over Bach and smiles while looking at him inside Cutler Hall in Athens, Ohio, Nov. 20, 2023. Officer King has been with OUPD for 23 years. He has only been a canine handler for 2 years. He’s been working with Bach for the past 18 months. Bach is 6 years old and has gone through a lot of training. Officer King went through training as well. He trained in Columbus to become an explosive detection canine handler. He has learned to think like a bomber and studies the techniques used in every bombing. Officer King calls himself Bach’s dad. Bach is the property of OUPD. He is a $25,000 piece of equipment. “He is a tool used to keep people safe,” Officer King said. Bach sleeps with Officer King every night unless it is one of the days King’s daughter stays with him. Bach is treated like family and often gets love pets for doing a good job.
Officer King and Bach search the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium before a concert in Athens, Ohio, Nov. 29, 2023. Bach has been trained to not be affected by any strobe lights or smoke machines. The smoke machine creates a strong smell in the air, but it does not affect Bach’s nose. “If we smell vegetable stew, we smell all the ingredients together. Bach can smell each ingredient apart,” Officer King said.
Bach plays with his toy ball after finding C4 during training in the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio, Dec. 5, 2023. When Bach started his explosive detection program in Columbus, Ohio, he was rewarded with food. Some find this unethical, but it is the best way to train these dogs that can potentially save lives. Bach lost 35 pounds in the academy. Bach, like most police canines, is rewarded with a toy after finding explosives. “He goes crazy. He loves that ball. He could play with it all day,” Officer King said.
Mak Olaker, who works with the Dean of Students, throws a ball to Bach in Baker Center in Athens, Ohio, Nov. 20, 2023. She bought the ball on Amazon just for Bach. Her office is one of the usual stops that Officer King and Bach make on their walk around campus. “This is the third ball I’ve bought for Bach. The tennis ball lasted around 15 minutes. This ball is surviving fairly well,” Olaker said. Mak loves it when Bach comes to her office because it gives her a mental break and brightens up her day.
Two students pet Bach after asking permission from Officer King at Alden Library in Athens, Ohio, Nov. 20, 2023. Officer King and Bach are known by many students and faculty on campus. “He kinda acts like a therapy dog. A lot of these students haven’t seen their dogs in months, so they love petting Bach,” Officer King said. He tries to bring Bach around students to lower their stress and to also introduce himself. He wants students to know that the police aren’t people to worry about and that they are nice to talk to.
After Bach’s long day at work, he sits in the police cruiser outside of Baker Center in Athens, Ohio, Nov. 20, 2023. Officer King brings Bach home and if he is still hyper, he will through a ball with him to tire him out.
Officer King turns the facet on in the bathroom to let Bach have a drink at Christ Community Wesleyan Church in Athens County, Ohio, Dec. 2, 2023. He carries around a foldable bowl that he usually uses, but he finds this way to be more fun.
A piece of C-4 sits in the receiver hitch of a food truck in the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio, Dec. 5, 2023. C-4 is one of the 27 explosive chemicals Bach can smell. They must train with each chemical to keep it in Bach’s arsenal. “Some officers only train with their dogs once a month. They then go back to the academy for testing and fail. We train almost every day,” King said.
Bach sits and looks at a drawer, signaling Officer King that he found the hidden explosive chemicals at Christ Community Wesleyan Church in Athens County, Ohio, Dec. 2, 2023. Bach had trouble with detecting the explosive residue because the drawer seal was too tight. “Sometimes the scent is barely coming out of the crack and Bach won’t smell it. As a handler, I have to slow him down and make sure he doesn’t pass anything too quick,” Officer King said. Even on their days off, Officer King and Bach train. As a canine handler, Officer King works 24/7 to care for his dog. “To keep your dog trained well, you have to have a schedule. Bach knows the days he has work. He knows when we train on off-days. I got to church on Sunday, so he knows I’ll be gone for 4 hours. Keeping a strict schedule keeps him behaved,” he explained. Officer King will often bring Bach to Church on Monday nights and teach children about his job. Bach loves the attention.
Bach’s toy ball hangs on the handle of Officer King’s gun in Athens, Ohio, Dec. 5, 2023. Bach is trained to drop the ball on command and will not touch it unless given permission. Bach can tell when Officer King is disappointed in him and learns to not let the happen.
Bach whips his head around while playing with his ball after finding hidden gunpowder as Officer King watches him in the Ohio University Police Department in Athens, Ohio, Nov. 20, 2023. At home, Bach’s only toy is a giant bone. This makes his reward for finding explosives a lot more special. “Man, he loves that ball. He doesn’t care about finding explosives. All he wants is that ball,” Officer King said.
