Deputy Curtis Rouse has been with the Merced County Sheriff’s Office for two years and is assigned to patrol as a K-9 Handler.  Prior to being a K-9 Handler, Deputy Rouse worked alongside the Merced County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Team as an Agitator and trail layer for the other dogs on the K-9 Team. In February 2018 he graduated from K-9 tracking where he first met his partner, K-9 Vito.

K-9 Vito is a black and tan colored Polish Hound specializing in human tracking.  K-9 Vito is one year old and just recently became a deputy with the Merced County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit in February 2018. Additionally, K-9 Vito is partnered with Deputy Rouse and they are trained as a tracking team which means they find missing, wanted, or lost people.  K-9 Vito’s favorite thing to do on his time off plays fetch and run around the block with Deputy Rouse.

At just 45 pounds, K-9 Vito is the smallest K-9 in the Merced County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit.  Don’t let his happy demeanor or small size fool you, he is a tracking machine.