DMPD K9 Visits Perkins!

Last Friday Perkins’ 3rd graders got to meet Sgt. Mark Miller and Emir, members of the Des Moines Police Department K9 Unit. They were able to come and share some information about what it is like to work in the K9 Unit. Emir, which means “Prince” in Arabic, is a 6 1/2 year old German Shepherd from Slovakia. Students learned that all of the Police Dogs come from Europe, because there German Shepherds are naturally bigger than when bred in the U.S. They also learned that the top speed for these German Shepherds is 35 mph.

While Emir was big and intimidating in appearance, he was very obedient and friendly. He loves playing games, and some of the students and Staff even got to play “tug-of-war” with him. Emir also liked competing, having won 12 trophies and even some state titles in police dog competitions.

The students were able to learn a lot about the Des Moines Police Department K9 Unit while having fun with a new furry friend. We’d like to give a big thank you to Sgt. Mark Miller and Emir!

Brandon Jenkins