Labrador evacuated from Ukraine finds a new life in the US as a police K9

The ongoing war in Ukraine has upended millions of lives, including those of animals. Many animals have been separated from their homes and left stranded in dangerous areas, as many people work to get them to safety.

Thankfully, one dog evacuated from Ukraine has found a “new leash on life,” after getting a new job in the US as a police K9.

Bruno, a one-and-a-half-year-old Labrador, arrived in Southwest Florida after being saved from war-torn Ukraine.

“So Bruno thus far in his life has been a world traveler, he came originally from Ukraine, his family left Ukraine when the Russian invasion happened,” Bruno’s new handler Detective Harrison Williams told WINK News.

But after being upended from his home by war, Bruno soon landed on his feet and found a new purpose: a German K9 handler realized the dog would make a great police K9, and contacted the Fort Myers Police Department about a possible new recruit to their narcotics division.

“I said, ‘This dog has some drive to work, let’s see if we can put him to work,'” Detective Williams said. “He flew into Miami International Airport on a 10-hour flight from Amsterdam in the Netherlands and I went down to Miami and picked him up.”

Bruno is now training to be a narcotics detection dog for the Fort Myers Police Department. “Bruno will be a single purpose narcotics detection canine assigned to our Group Violence Intervention Unit,” the department wrote on Facebook.

It’s hard work, but Bruno has shown a ton of enthusiasm for his new job.

“He runs to jump in the truck, ready to go,” Williams told WINK.

We’re glad to see that Bruno is safe and out of Ukraine, and wish him the best in his new career as a police K9!

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