Bentheim Elementary kindergarten students welcomed a special four-legged visitor as Allegan County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Mike Murphy and his K9 partner, Knox, joined Hamilton Community Schools Resource Officer Deputy John Dekkinga for a hands-on learning experience.

During their visit to Mrs. Rumsey’s and Mrs. Blahnik’s classrooms, the deputies taught students about police dogs, how they are trained, and the important work they do to help keep communities safe. Demonstrations gave students a firsthand look at Knox’s skills and the teamwork between a K9 and his handler.

“We routinely as a K9 unit go to schools to do demonstrations to show what the dogs can do, how they can aid us in doing our jobs, talk about how they're a valuable resource for our department and community as a whole,” Murphy explained.

Murphy also shared that the connection between a deputy and a K9 extends well beyond the workday. Knox lives with Murphy and his family, and their time together includes both training and helping others.

“This is hands down the best position in our department, in my opinion,” Murphy said. “The dog lives with us, we train with them, they're with us constantly, it's a great time working with him all day and bringing the dog to work, we get to help a lot of people and show him off to groups like this.”

For students, getting to pet Knox was a highlight of the visit. Along with seeing his skills in action, they had an opportunity to connect with local deputies and learn more about their roles in keeping our community safe.

Thank you to Deputy Murphy and Deputy Dekkinga for sharing your time and expertise with our youngest Hawkeyes—and to Knox for bringing his impressive skills and plenty of smiles to Bentheim Elementary!