FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office announces its newest member of the K-9 Unit – Kyro.
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K-9 Kyro will serve alongside Master Deputy Marcus Dawson, whose previous partner, K-9 Baro, retired in August.
Kyro, a German Shepherd, was born in Poland on Dec. 13, 2022.
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He was purchased from the Alabama Canine Law Enforcement Officer’s Training Center after a generation from Dr. César DePaço and his wife, Deanna Padovani-DePaço.
Kyro is the 10th dog donated to the agency by the DePaço family since 2015, saving taxpayers over $110,000.
The $13,500 donation covers not only the cost to purchase the dog, but covers additional costs associated with training, specialized equipment, healthcare needs, and food as well, according to the sheriff’s office.
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“We thank Dr. DePaço and Deanna for their continued support of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and always supporting our K-9 Unit,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “They have graciously donated every K-9 we currently use to serve our community by locating criminals, locating and seizing narcotics, and helping find missing persons.”
The name “Kyro” was chosen over finalists “Rico” and “Atlas” after receiving over 1,500 comments on social media.
“Thank you to our social media community for helping us pick out a great name,” added Staly. “K-9 Kyro has big paws to fill replacing K-9 Baro, but I have no doubt he will be an excellent addition to our K-9 Unit. He has some extensive training ahead of him but will soon be ready to take a bite out of crime in no time!”
Like his predecessor, Baro, Kyro will be trained in both patrol and narcotics detection.
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