CSUN Community Welcomes New K9, Daisy

  • Daisy the dog with her tongue hanging out.

    Daisy, CSUN Department of Police Service's new K9, joined the team in July 2016. Photo by Luis Garcia

  • Daisy chews on a ball next to a baby in a photo opp.

    Daisy posed for pictures at CSUN Department of Police Service's "Meet the K9" event. Photo by Luis Garcia

  • Officer Messmore talks to the crowd while Daisy walks around on a leash.

    Officer Virgil Messmore gives the crowd insight into Daisy's capabilities at the event on Sept. 20. Photo by Luis Garcia

  • Daisy runs to a cone.

    Daisy demonstrated her scent training by discovering sample explosives hidden beneath cones in the roped off area. Photo by Luis Garcia

  • Daisy props herself against Officer Messmore while she gets a chin scratch.

    Officer Messmore gives Daisy a chin scratch at the "Meet the K9" event on Sept. 20. Photo by Luis Garcia

  • Woman holds up Daisy t-shirt

    T-shirts, plush toys and raffle tickets were sold at the event to raise money for the National Police Dog Foundation. Photo by David J. Hawkins

  • Officer Messmore always wanted to be a canine handler, according to his bio. Photo by Luis Garcia

  • Matty and Daisy pose for a photo.

    CSUN's Matty the Matador stopped by for a photo with the newest member of the CSUN Department of Police Services K9 unit. Photo by Luis Garcia

A furry new addition to the California State University, Northridge Department of Police Services (DPS) was introduced to the CSUN community on Sept. 20.

CSUN welcomed its sixth K9 unit and first Labrador retriever, Daisy, on Bayramian Lawn, where students, staff and community members could purchase Daisy-themed T-shirts and stuffed animals, take a picture with the friendly 15-month-old pup and watch Daisy perform demonstrations.

Officer Virgil Messmore, who has worked in law enforcement for 22 years, indicated in his CSUN bio that it has been his lifelong career dream to become a canine handler, and he now serves as partner to the yellow English and American Labrador.

Arriving in June and starting work in July, Daisy went through a month-long German training course in explosives detection, where she learned 16 scents.

At the CSUN event, Daisy performed an explosive-detection demonstration. When she located the scent, Messmore rewarded her with a toy, followed by a round of applause from the crowd.

The CSUN community and DPS gave the Lab a warm welcome, and DPS staff said they hope to use the proceeds from the T-shirts and stuffed animals sold to acquire another K9 unit in the future.

To donate to CSUN’s K9 fund, vist the National Police Dog Foundation.

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