Please Welcome K-9 Santxo #396

Please take a moment to welcome K-9 Santxo as Program Member #396 to our Project K-9 Hero Pack! K-9 Santxo worked as a Dual-Purpose Patrol Apprehension/Narcotics Detection K-9 at the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, from March 2016 to February 2025.

K-9 Santxo, an 11-year-old Male Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd cross, had 154 recorded deployments throughout his career where he provided patrol assistance with narcotic detection, evidence detection, tracking, and suspect apprehension. He also worked with the Missoula County SRT where his trained disciplines were used in multiple high-risk deployments.

K-9 Santxo also provided patrol/detection assistance to local outside agencies, such as the Missoula City Police, the Montana Highway Patrol, and Montana Department of Corrections, as well as multiple nearby Law Enforcement agencies. K-9 Santxo worked multiple high risk operations with local FBI SWAT, DEA, and U.S. Marshals Task Forces.

As a team, K-9 Santxo and his Handler were awarded the Meritorious Performance Ribbon. After a 21-hour search for a murder weapon by an outside agency was unsuccessful, Santxo was requested. Minutes after his deployment, he located the weapon, allowing for its successful recovery and arrest of the suspect.

Late in his career, Santxo suffered a torn cranial cruciate ligament injury which required a TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy) surgery. While he did recover from the injury, it did in part lead to his well earned retirement in 2025. He currently lives with his Handler but requires daily supplements to help maintain his mobility.