Pit bull rescued to be drug-sniffing K-9

Police rescue Apollo, who was about to be put down

Apollo the pit bull recently made his debut in Washington as Tukwila’s newest K-9 at a “Coffee with a Cop” event, greeting mall-goers with kisses and his signature high energy.

“He was in a shelter and he was about to be put down because of high energy, just a handful, essentially, and the shelter called a trainer and said, ‘We have this dog; I think he might be good for you guys,’” Tukwila police officer Victor Masters told KCPQ.

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As he excelled in training, Apollo caught the attention of several police departments, KCPQ reported. But they weren’t sure about taking on a pit bull, a breed that Masters says tends to have a “bad rap.”

“Normally, a German Shepherd is the standard go-to dog,” Masters said. “They are bred to be police dogs; pit bulls, not so much. They get the bad rap and people just want to avoid them.”

Then the Tukwila department’s chief stepped in.

“Chief said, ‘You know what, we only hire the best officers. Let’s hire the best K-9,’” Masters told KCPQ. “She said, ‘This K-9 is the best K-9 I have; he will finish top in the class.’”

In his new job, Apollo won't be a patrol dog or an “attack” dog, Master said.

“He’s just here to find narcotics and, essentially, [be] one of the happiest dogs we have ever seen," Masters said.