1st Sgt. Joshua Shiflett of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and Bodi, the new K-9 officer, are learning the ropes together.

The two have been a team since October, when Bodi joined the drug task force.

“This is my first time as a K-9 handler so this is a new role for me,” noted Shiflett, who has spent 11 years with BCSO, the last nine with the drug unit. “It’s just as much training me as it is him.”

Bodi is a graduate of Southern Police Canine Inc., a facility based in Nashville, N.C. Shiflett met the Belgian Malinois during a two-week school last fall.

“His specialty is drug detection,” Shiflett said of his furry partner, who is expected to spend the next eight to 10 years on the job.

Bodi succeeds Elza, BCSO’s former K-9 that was retired several months ago. Elza is now living the good life as a house pet to former handler David Richards, a narcotics investigator.

When not hard at work, Bodi resides in a specially-designed kennel at Shiflett’s home. The two train together on a daily basis to remain at the top of their game. They spend the majority of their days together.

“We jump in the car and come to work together as a team,” Shiflett said. “Bodi thinks that it’s his mission in life to search; he has that drive and that focus for work.”

When BOCO procured Bodi, he had a different name. But, as is often the case, the sheriff’s office was encouraged to give the dog a new name to go with its new role. Shiflett’s young daughter suggested Bodi after watching a favorite children’s video.

“He is super strong and he’s like a heat-seeking missile when it comes to this kind of work,” Shiflett said of his 60-pound partner. “He’s trained to detect illegal narcotics in vehicles, homes, storage units and packages. We use Bodiin searches and traffic stops as a tool to isolate and locate narcotics.”

But as important as Bodi is to the drug unit, it’s still up to his human counterparts to locate those drugs, according to Shiflett.

Bodi’s specialty is the location of such illegal drugs as methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana and cocaine. But he is never directly exposed to the drugs while preparing for his job.

“It’s a common misconception that dogs are exposed to drugs while in training, but that is far from the truth,” Shiflett noted. “You never want your dog to put its mouth on drugs.”

Serving as a K-9 handler carries a lot of responsibility.

“It’s up to me to keep him sharp and to keep him with that training program,” Shiflett added.

When Bodi does a good job, his reward isn’t your typical doggy treat. Instead, he’s given a canvas bag “scented” with a narcotic as confirmation that he completed his task according to a specific regimen.

Bodi is also taking an active role in preventing Beaufort County’s younger citizens from becoming involved with drugs.

“He’s done three school searches and we’re using him to keep drugs out of the schools and as an educational tool, too,” Shiflett said. “He’s like an ambassador for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.”