Obi, a labrador retriever, is a certified police dog serving as a school resource officer at Hoover High School. He joined the Hoover Police Department in August 2018 and has been certified as a police dog for almost six years. We sat down with Obi and his handler, Officer Kyle Brohl, for a behind-the-scenes look at life as part of the K-9 unit. Here’s what Obi had to say.
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Curtesy of Allison Carpenter Photography.
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Curtesy of Allison Carpenter Photography.
Enjoy Hoover: Obi, how did you get your name?
Obi: I was named after Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars. I have a friend whose human partner is a huge Star Wars fan, and Obi-Wan Kenobi is his favorite character. Interestingly enough, my friend is named after R2D2.
EH: Why were you chosen to be a police dog?
Obi: I was chosen to be a police dog because I have high dog drives. My main drives are hunt, air scent, retrieve, prey, trainability, and playing. This makes me a great candidate for a working dog. My favorite drive is playing, of course!
EH: Tell us more about your role as a school resource officer.
Obi: My human, Officer Kyle, and I are both school resource officers. My role is to support him by detecting drugs. I also like to comfort children when they may need some help or if they are having a bad day. I love going to work every day at school! Everybody is so nice, and I get plenty of belly rubs from all of the teachers and students. They refer to us as “Obi and that guy that is with Obi!”
EH: What does it take to become a police dog?
Obi: To become a police dog, I had to work extra hard on my drives. I had to go through stressful classes throughout puppyhood. My human partner and I had to go through an intense 4-week drug detection course. I, of course, was already trained when my human partner came along, but we had to get to know each other and learn how to work together. I had been through two other courses prior to the two of us teaming up.
EH: What do you like most about being a police dog?
Obi: What I like most about being a police dog is training with my human partner. We get to spend all day together hunting and playing. Then, after training, he usually throws the ball for me to fetch.
EH: What is your favorite treat?
Obi: My favorite treat is anything. I love all kinds of human food and dog treats. I have a buffet every morning in the school courtyard eating food that the kids drop.
EH: Tell us about your family.
Obi: My family consists of my partner, Officer Kyle; my mom, Tayler; my younger human brother, Bryson; and my doggie sister, Skylar. When I retire from the police department in a couple of years, I get to spend the rest of my life with them!
EH: Obi, tell us about some of your favorite things.
Obi: I enjoy waking my human up at 4:00 a.m. every day to be fed my breakfast. I also enjoy coming to school and being treated like royalty. I love playing fetch and being petted when I am tired. I probably have the best job out of all the dogs in my unit!