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Canine Unit

The Saint Peter Police Canine Unit consists of a handler, Officer Keith Ruffing and canine partner, Shooter. Shooter is a German Shepherd Dog. He began police dog training in March of 2001 and graduated from the Saint Paul K-9 Academy in May 2001 after thirteen weeks of training. After graduation, Shooter joined Officer Ruffing in patrolling the city of Saint Peter. Shooter is a second-generation police dog. He replaced his father, K9 Gunnar, after his retirement from the Saint Peter Police Department in August 2000. Shooter was 1 1/2 years old when he began his service with the police department.

Shooter is a great asset to the department. He is able to track lost persons or fleeing suspects, find suspects that are hiding, locate evidence, protect his handler, and search for drugs.

In addition to the above duties, Shooter also visits the local schools and the children. This past spring Shooter and Officer Ruffing posed for pictures with about 140 kindergarten children. Shooter looks forward to playing with the kids again this year.

Officer Ruffing and Shooter perform demonstrations for different groups throughout the year. If you would like to schedule a canine demonstration, please call Officer Ruffing at the police department, 507-931-1550. You can also email Officer Ruffing at keithr@saintpetermn.gov.