Meet some of our former "Top Dogs" in our Hall of Fame. These dogs have worked hard and are now retired and spending time with their families. However, their legacy will never be forgotten.

Chico: Keeping 'em on Their Toes

Hello! My name is Chico. I’m a male Belgian Malinois. I weigh 95 pounds. I was born in Belgium. When I was about 3-years-old, I came to the United States. It wasn’t long before I met my partner, K-9 Officer Steve. I didn’t know what to think of K-9 Officer Steve at first—he is a really big guy and kind of intimidating! But, on my first night in Virginia, Officer Steve spent the night with me. He slept on the hard concrete floor. I knew from that point that Officer Steve would always take care of me.

I came to the CIA to become an Explosive Detection Canine. Officer Steve and I went through 10 weeks of intense training, which I didn’t like at first. You see, I am kind of a hard head—I don’t like being told what to do. But Officer Steve didn’t let me get away with that. He is a former U.S. Marine and would only settle for perfection. Needless to say, I lost the battle. At the end of our 10-week training, we graduated at the top of our class.

After completing my basic training, I went to work every day with Officer Steve. It’s my job to sniff for explosives. When I find something that smells like explosives, I come to a “sit” position. This lets Officer Steve know that I’ve found something with an explosive odor. Next comes the fun part for me, because I get my tug toy each time I find an explosive—and boy do I love to play tug! Sometimes, I’ll sit just to get my tug toy. This never works because Officer Steve knows when I am faking—but I like keeping him on his toes.

When I am not working, I go home with Officer Steve to relax with our family. On the weekends I play outside a lot. I love to play fetch with a ball or KONG, but my favorite toy is always a big stick. At night, I sleep by the front door so I can do my second job, which is to keep my partner and his family safe!

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Dallas: A CIA Lone Star

My name is Dallas, and I come from Dallas, Texas. Everyone says I look a lot like my sister Maggie. She is the other black Labrador in the CIA K-9 Corps.

Officer Carlos is my human partner. We get along great and we have a lot in common. We like to jog, we love R&B and Hip Hop music, and we love to watch “Animal Planet” on TV. It’s important to get along with the people you work with. I’m very lucky that I get along so well with Officer Carlos.

Through my adventures at the CIA, I've learned to bark in seven different languages. That’s a good skill to have at the CIA!

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Dino: Big Dog on Campus

I love to talk, so I always let my partner, Officer Dennis, know when I sense that something is out of place. My job is very important to me. When I wake up in the morning, I wait by the front door until it’s time to leave for work.

At home I love to play. I have a big toy box that I can dig through, until I find just the right toy. I am very protective of my family. I sleep by the door, so I am the first to know if someone tries to get in.

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Gerro: What’s in a Name?

My name is Germaine Sebastian Bartholomew Otis Darcy. That’s a mouthful, isn’t it? Call me “Gerro,” all my friends do.

I help sniff out trouble for the CIA. My partner, Officer Clancy, and I have won several medals at competitions. My parents are really proud of me. My family has a tradition of helping humans. My great, great grandfather served in the Army in World War II in the original “K-9 Corps.”

My dad helped me over the “ruff” spots in training, and I graduated at the top of my class. When I met Officer Clancy, he was a little puzzled by my long first name. He felt a lot better when he found out I go by Gerro. He already had two other German Shepherds like me named Christy and Roxy. They told me that he’s a really good guy. We all get along great, and I love playing catch and other games with my sisters.

Working with Officer Clancy is a lot of fun. But we do a lot of serious work. We work together so much that we can almost read each other’s thoughts. And that’s why we’re so good in competitions. I don’t like to brag, but we’re a pretty good team.

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Maggie: The First Lady of the Corps

My name is Maggie and I was the first female K-9 Corps officer.

I’m a 5-year-old Labrador Retriever and I’ve worked here for four years. Have you met my brother, Dallas? And have you met Whisper, the only other girl in the corps? Things were a little strange when I first got here since I was so young (I was only 1) and since I was the only girl. The other dogs teased me at first and said I couldn’t do the job as well as them.

But when Officer Paul and I trained in bomb-sniffing, we were the best in our class. All the other dogs saw how well I could do the job and they’ve been my friends ever since. Officer Paul and I have had some really exciting assignments. I really can’t talk about all of them, but if you’re ever at our headquarters, I’ll try to dig up some of the files and we can bone up on them.

My favorite thing to do away from work is play with Officer Paul’s two boys. We play tag and hide and seek. I’m really good at hide and seek. On weekends, I love to watch “Cops” on TV, especially when they have dogs on the show. My other favorite show is “Lassie.” Now that was a lady that could get the job done, too.

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Nikky: Changing Channels

I’m Nikky, and maybe you’ve seen me on TV.

I used to be in commercials and movies. I did a lot of my own stunts. I can even speak a couple of languages. It just seemed natural to work for the CIA K-9 Corps. I’m a German Shepherd, and I’m originally from Holland.

I had a tough time here at first because I didn’t understand English so well. My first language is Dutch. I had to prove myself to my partner, Officer James, and I did. One day, I was chasing a bad guy. I chased him so hard that I fell off a 15-foot bridge. I wasn’t injured, but I could tell the other K-9s really respected my effort. I recently won two medals at a United States Police Canine Association Patrol Dog competition.

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Orry: The Big Dog

I’m Orry. I’m easy to pick out because I’m the biggest dog here. I weigh 100 pounds. When I first got here, a lot of the other dogs were afraid of me. They didn’t need to be. I love other dogs and people and, well, just about everyone.

My full name is really Orlando. I’ve always been a big German Shepherd. I was adopted by a kind couple who loved me a lot. Other dogs teased me because I was adopted. But I think they teased me because I scared them a little. But my new parents loved me. They told me that being adopted made me special because they got to choose me. They told me that there are different kinds of families, and all that matters is the love.

Officer Lawrence is my partner, and he’s my family now. He’s a big guy, too, and he loves to exercise with me. We swim in the pool and play water basketball. In the winter, we have snowball fights. I have a big advantage because I love eating the snow he throws.

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Tiwaz: Old Dog Teaching ’Em New Tricks

I’m Tiwaz, and I’m the oldest member of the CIA K-9 Corps. I’ve been at the CIA for six years. I’m 8 years old, the same age as Gerro. Everybody thinks I’m older than Gerro. But that’s only because I’m a black German Shepherd and my gray hairs show up more.

I have traveled all over the world in my job with Officer Dave. I love to go wherever they need me. I just wish the planes flew a little slower and lower so I could hang my head out the window. These days I stick closer to the CIA headquarters to help train the new dogs. Officer Dave always reminds me that I have to be a role model for the younger dogs. If you have a younger brother or sister, you probably know how that feels. They look at you to see how you do things and how you act.

I’m retiring soon, and Officer Dave says I’ll get a gold bone. But what I really want is to make sure all the “pups” carry on the great traditions of our K-9 Corps.

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Whisper: Making a Name for Herself

They’ve called me “Whisper” since I was in school. I was very quiet when I first started training. At Explosive Detection School, my teacher told me to speak up and not whisper all the time.

I took that advice and pretty soon I was one of the loudest dogs in the class. Everyone thought it was funny to call me Whisper then. I finished at the top of my class in detecting explosives. I can find 19,000 different types of explosives.

My partner, Officer Ron, laughed when he heard my name because I’m pretty loud these days. Officer Ron says he can always tell where I am when I’m with the other corps members, not just because I’m the only yellow Labrador, but because of my loud voice.

Officer Ron and I have placed in the top five in several national and regional competitions. We’re really good in the detection tests. That’s one time I get quiet and let my nose do all the work … well, until I find something. Then I let everybody know! No more whispering for me.

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Zoltan: A Breed Apart 

My name is Zoltan. I am a male Belgian Malinois.  I was born on Nov. 19, 1998, in Eastern Hungary.

I began training when I was a year old. I know three different languages: English, German, and Dutch.

I first worked as an Explosive Detection dog with the Cincinnati Bengal’s football team. But I was happy when I found out I was going to work with my new partner, K-9 Officer Mat, at the CIA.

When Officer Mat picked me up for the first time, I was really nervous. When I got to my new home, I met his wife, and my new mommy, Maria. I also met their family dog, Bailey, a little hot dog who likes to play a lot.

Officer Mat and I worked very hard during our training together. If I did what I was told, I would be rewarded with a lot of love and a tennis ball. I love tennis balls so much; I’ll even rip off my partner’s pocket to get to one. He gets so mad at me when I do that, but I just can’t help myself! My partner and I are together 24 hours a day. We have so much fun and he is my best friend. I will do anything to protect him.

I love working for the CIA and protecting the people who protect this great country.  

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