KGUN 9News

Actions

Deputy given hug by K9 partner in viral photo

Posted at 5:08 PM, Feb 26, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-26 20:29:23-05
It's pretty obvious that Manson loves his partner, Pima County Sheriff's Deputy Chase Garrett. That love perfectly captured in a single selfie. 
 
"He likes to give hugs," said Garrett. "He's a huggin' dog. Most of the time if we're just sitting there, he'll plop his head on my shoulder and just sit there like that." 
 
Earlier this week, the Pima County Sheriff's Department posted a photo of Garrett and Manson on its Facebook page. The photo shows Manson giving his partner a loving hug. 
 
In just a few days, the photo was shared thousands of times. Garrett says he took the photo a couple of months ago during a narcotics investigation. 
 
Manson is a 5-year-old chocolate lab, trained as a specialized detection K9. He is used to find evidence specific to narcotic investigations. The two have worked together for the past three years. 
 
"We went from you know in the car where he didn't know who I was, I didn't know who he was really and he didn't listen too much and now he's a great dog, he's a great partner," said Garrett. "He's just fun to have in the car, I mean it makes the hours go by."
 
Manson even goes home with Garrett after their shift. 
 
"He's very playful, very active," he said. "Even at home, he just wants to be part of the family."
 
Garrett says he never imagined the response his photo would get but he likes seeing his faithful partner get so much recognition. 
 
"People don't think of them as cops or anything else but I mean it's good that the community actually likes police K9s and they care that much about them," he said.