WASHINGTON — Meet the newest member of the Metropolitan Police Department: A bloodhound puppy named Bubba.
MPD received the new K9 thanks to a donation from the DC Police Foundation. As a bloodhound, Bubba fills a need for the police department.
"This dog provides an additional service to the MPD that was unfulfilled," said Patrick Burke, Director of the DC Police Foundation. "We have patrol K9s, dogs that will sniff for weapons, for explosive devices... This dog has a unique aptitude to seek out missing persons, folks with Autism, seniors that go missing. It fills a void for MPD and provides a function that's greatly needed."
In a video posted to Twitter, MPD Officer Anthony Delborrell said Bubba will also be used to track people with Alzheimer's disease and young children.
Bubba is still a puppy, but he will eventually grow to be between 130 and 150 pounds.
"He is definitely different than the rest of the K9s that we have, which are mostly German shepherds and Belgian Malinois," Delborell said.
Bloodhounds are known for their sense of smell, and are able to distinguish one human scent from another, which makes them especially helpful in the search for missing people.
"He's a very popular officer right now," Burke said.
Bubba joins the force as MPD's only bloodhound, but he's not the first. Previously, Sam the bloodhound was part of the MPD's K9 unit back in 2013.