Law enforcement agencies in Oregon rely on more than 100 dogs to help them track criminals, sniff out drugs, find bodies and help in arson investigations.

Highly trained, each dog is paired with one officer, with whom they work and live. The bond between the two is strong.

"Our dogs are our partners," said Sgt. Rhonda Sandoval, a 19-year veteran of the McMinnville Police Department and treasurer of the Oregon Police Canine Association. "They become part of our lives and our families."

A trainer who's worked with two police dogs, Sandoval was saddened to hear about the Portland canine struck in the line of duty.

"It's horrible," Sandoval said. "My heart goes out to the handler."

The association does not keep statistics on the number of police dogs in Oregon that have been injured or killed. But Sandoval said they are just as vulnerable as the handler.

"Dogs get shot and stabbed – just like officers," Sandoval said.

The dogs are trained to obey their handler and not react to gunfire.

"One of our standards is to make our dogs go neutral to gunfire," Sandoval said. "If things go south and there is a shooting situation, we don't want to worry about what our dogs are doing. We want them to remain under control even in a gunfire situation."

The canine killed early Wednesday in Portland was a German shepherd. Belgian malinois are also commonly used in police work. Both are bred for law enforcement work.

Oregon imports most of its police dogs from Europe, which has a long experience in training the animals. From the get go, they undergo extensive training.

"Most dogs have 360 hours of training before they ever hit the road," Sandoval said. "Then there's maintenance training of 16 hours a month – per discipline."

Patrol dogs, like the one killed Wednesday, are trained in tracking people, searching for evidence, protecting handlers and apprehending suspects. To help officers make an arrest, they bite and hold but do not chew up suspects.

Each trained dog costs between $7,000 and $10,000. The Oregon Police Canine Association certifies them, making them pass tests every year.

Sandoval said patrol dogs have difficult jobs.

"It's hard work for the dogs," Sandoval said. "They go out and track for hours and miles. They fight our bad guys sometimes. Agility is part of the training. They have to be able to jump fences."

They're also in the firing line, as are their handlers.

The dogs usually start their careers between 2 and 5 years old. Most of them retire at 10.

"You'll get the rare dog that works longer, but they tend to retire at 10," Sandoval said.

-- Lynne Terry