Meet K-9 Unit Teammates Nova and Her Handler, Christopher

This post continues the series, “A Different Breed of Officer,” featuring the St. Louis Fed’s K-9 program and the dogs and handlers who dedicate their lives to keeping employees and visitors safe. For security or preference reasons, handlers’ full names may or may not be used in this series.

Senior Officer Christopher F. has served as a juvenile court deputy in Shelby County, Tenn., and as a field training officer at the St. Louis Fed’s Memphis Branch, where he started in 2021. He’s never had a role quite like his current assignment: explosives detection dog handler.

The job meant Nova, a 1-year-old Belgian Malinois from Bogota, Colombia, became Christopher’ furry partner at work and new home companion. They’ve been working and living together about six months.

“It’s a 24/7 commitment,” Christopher says.

A K-9 Officer Work Week

“Everything is her favorite part about our job,” says Senior Officer Christopher F., describing his K-9 partner Nova’s work attitude. Christopher F. talks about training and work days that start with Nova acting as an alarm clock at 4:30 a.m. Transcript follows.

Transcript

Senior Officer Christopher F.: My name is Christopher. I’ve been working here at the Bank for two and a half years.

Nova is a one-year-old Belgian Malinois from Bogota, Colombia.

We protect the people, persons and operations of the Bank. She’s explosive detection, so we screen armored vehicles, packages, and make perimeter patrols. And the work that we do is imperative to keeping the Bank safe.

So we train at least once a week. We place our hides in different areas throughout the Bank. Once she comes to locate the hide, she does what we call “final response,” which is a change in behavior, change in posture, change in breathing.

And she sits when she locates the hide, and we reward her by a ball. And she goes haywire and is enthused by the ball. The ball is life.

She enjoys coming to work. She’s my alarm clock in the morning. At 4:30, she’s in the other room wanting to get out and go to work and put on her vest. Everything is her favorite part about our job.

It’s a 24/7 job. They come home with you, they go to work with you. And it’s a task, but it’s one that I enjoy.

Nova and Christopher F. kicked off their partnership in Kansas City with about six weeks of intensive training. Together, they now screen vehicles, freight and unattended items at the Memphis Branch. Nova uses her powerful sense of smell to seek explosives. Christopher keeps her trained and on task, which isn’t difficult.

“Nova loves being at the Bank,” Christopher says. “This is not work to her. It’s where she comes to have a good time.”

Senior Law Enforcement Officer Christopher F. and K-9 Officer Nova started working together in 2023. Christopher F. says Nova loves being at work at the Eighth Federal Reserve District’s Memphis Branch.

Christopher and Nova sat down for a video call to discuss the partnership. Christopher did all the talking.

This is a new role for you. What’s been the biggest adjustment?

Nova wakes me up at 4:30 each morning, even on the weekends. That’s the time we get up during the work week. She’s on a schedule. Fortunately, I’m a morning person, so I don’t mind.

What made you want to work in the Bank’s K-9 unit?

Besides being able to bring man’s best friend to work each day, the sense of purpose appealed most to me about becoming a K-9 handler. The work we do provides a deep sense of fulfilment, knowing at the end of each day that we helped provide a safer environment for the Bank.

Why did you choose Nova as her name?

Nova is Latin in origin. It’s derived from “novus,” which means new. To me, Nova symbolizes a new beginning, a new opportunity and a new day to make a difference.

K-9 Officer Nova has “unwavering devotion and dedication,” says her handler, Senior Officer Christopher F.

Was it hard setting boundaries at home between Nova and Keto, your rescued 7-year-old American pit bull?

It wasn’t. She runs circles around Keto. He’s like 49 in dog years. He’s a lot slower than her. But they’ve been welcoming of each other. It’s been a nice balance. They have supervised playtime. I want her to be socialized because dogs can become territorial. And she might come across another dog at work.

Describe Nova’s personality.

One word comes to mind with Nova: devotion. Her unwavering devotion and dedication to be by my side every day is something I’ve never experienced. She’s also a bit mischievous and loves attention. She can be stubborn, but she’s hardworking. She just wants to please.