K-9 Buck is a yellow Lab, and his official title is Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife Conservation K-9. Buck is the first, and only, wildlife detection K-9 in the state of Oregon. He and his handler, Senior Trooper Josh Wolcott-Petersen, work out of the Oregon State Police Springfield Area Command, but can be deployed anywhere in Oregon as needed to help solve Fish & Wildlife crimes.

Buck and Senior Trooper Wolcott-Petersen graduated in May 2019 from a specialized training academy in Indiana, where they trained alongside other Fish & Wildlife human and K-9 officers from around the US. Buck has been trained to do three specific tasks: area searches, human tracking, and wildlife detection. Buck has been trained to detect deer, elk, bear, turkey, waterfowl, and salmon. He is also trained to search for firearms, shell casings, and any other items with gunpowder residue.

OSP’s Fish & Wildlife K-9 program is mostly funded by donations. Oregon Wildlife Foundation partnered with OSP to purchase Buck in November 2018. Oregon Wildlife Foundation is also sponsoring his training, equipment, and upkeep. OSP would like to thank Oregon Wildlife Foundation for their sponsorship and support of our Fish & Wildlife K-9 program. You can find out more about Oregon Wildlife Foundation’s support for OSP’s K-9 program or donate here: https://www.myowf.org/k9team.