One of the most valuable members of the Vicksburg Police Department has a chronically wet nose, is only three years old, and is man’s best friend – unless you’re a bad guy.

Canine officer Thor, an 85-pound pure-bred German shepherd, has been with the police department since 2012 and has been an invaluable asset for them as well as the entire county, his handler, officer Donnie Heggins said.

Heggins, who has worked in law enforcement for more than seven years, has worked in the canine division for about two years, he said.

“I’ve been a dog person all my life, I love dogs,” Heggins said. “Every day is something new, he’s always surprising us.”

Thor is trained in narcotics, apprehension and tracking, and excels at them all, Heggins said.

“He’s got an excellent drive and his nose is unreal,” he said. “All around he’s just good at everything.”

Thor’s talents have put the duo in high demand and they often get called upon not just for the police department but the sheriff’s office as well, Heggins said.

“We patrol the interstate and the inner city, trying to find a lot of narcotics,” Heggins said. “But we respond to anything anybody needs.”

During his time with the department Thor helped find a dementia patient who had been lost in the woods for hours. When Thor arrived on the scene he took emergency responders right to her location about a mile into the woods, Heggins said.

“You know, he’s raised to chase bad guys and bite them, but he took us right to her with no aggression whatsoever,” he said. “He can definitely read the situation.”

A handler has to trust his canine partner to read all kinds of situations accurately, and that trust is built over time through training and success in the field. Sometimes that faith may feel a bit unnatural, Heggins said.

“Once you get out there about a half mile in the woods (on a search) you’re thinking ‘What am I doing out here?’ But you have to trust your dog, you can’t think like we think,” Heggins said. “The training you do over time, you have to trust that. You build that bond, you know the dog and the dog knows you.”

That attachment is strengthened by the sheer amount of time the partners spend together day in and day out. Thor not only works with officer Heggins, but lives with him as well.

“You do get very attached. He’s with you every day, all day,” he said. “He goes home with you.”

The two work hard, but when they’re at home they like to leave work at the office, he said. Thor is just a normal dog — in his off time he likes to run around the fenced-in backyard and play with Heggins three sons.

“He’s just like a family pet when he’s at the house,” he said. “Once we get home it’s like a light switch, he knows work’s over.”

Most canine officers can work for up to 8-10 years, barring any health issues. Time and training should help strengthen the bond between the officers, making them more successful, Heggins said.

“The more training you do, the more that bond is going to build,” he said. “He knows his job and you have to trust him. He’s got to trust you to.”