Photo: 805promo / iStock / Getty Images
The Harrisonburg Police Department is expanding its K-9 team by adding four-legged officer Atlas, who is just over a year old and the fourth dog in the unit. Officer Chelsea Hairston, who has been with HPD since 2020, is Atlas’s handler. After working as a decoy with other K-9s, Hairston decided to attend handler school and become part of the K-9 unit herself.
Hairston, the first female handler at the department since the early 2000s, says she initially worried about putting a dog in harm’s way but grew to appreciate how valuable K-9s are in police work—using skills humans just can’t match. Atlas is also special as the department’s first mixed breed dog in a long time. After completing handler school, Hairston and Atlas were paired up, and have been inseparable ever since.
Atlas doesn’t live inside the house but has a comfortable kennel in Hairston’s climate-controlled garage. They spend most of their time training, often playing with a ball, which keeps Atlas engaged and happy. Originally from the Netherlands, Atlas was trained in Dutch and German commands.
Hairston explains that working dogs like Atlas are bred and trained for specific tasks. Without work, they can become bored and develop behavior problems. For Atlas, his job gives him purpose and enjoyment, with training games that end with a toy reward.
Atlas assists the department by locating people, drugs, and evidence, and supports officers during traffic stops, alarms, and suspicious calls like open doors or abandoned bags. Hairston describes him as sweet but focused and ready once his gear is on, quickly mastering new skills like recall.
The training process has been a learning experience for Hairston, who feels proud to work alongside Atlas in the field. She believes the K-9’s presence can be life-saving during critical moments, even if it means risking his own safety to protect others.
When off duty, Atlas is just a regular dog—rolling in the grass, wearing a simple collar, and loving belly rubs.
SOURCE: WHSV3