K9 Gambit Is Now On Duty In Chelan County Regional Jail

The Chelan County Regional Justice Center has introduced K9 Gambit, a 3-year-old border collie mix.

In August, the jail lost its narcotics-detecting canine, K9 Kait, when she died suddenly while undergoing treatment for a liver condition. Gambit had already been identified as a possible candidate to work alongside Kait and K9 handler Deputy Jacob Lewis.

Dep. Lewis said in an a social media post that Kait and Gambit met each other and he "feels like Kait gave her blessing to Gambit to continue her legacy"

Gambit was certified in September by the Washington State Department of Corrections and has been working in the jail for about a month. Like his predecessor Kait, Gambit is trained on detecting six odors, including fentanyl.

In a news release from Chelan County, Lewis said Gambit is highly energetic and driven. He enjoys the water and is loves playing fetch with the staff. His work toy, a ball is a reward for finding narcotics, according to Lewis.

“I’m excited to see how Gambit will continue Kait’s legacy, and he’s already shown he is up to the challenge,” Lewis said. “In a month, Gambit has had two finds in the jail, including one find that contained fentanyl.”

K9 Gambit was a rescue dog from an abusive situation and was donated to the Department of Corrections K9 program.

The team of Lewis and Gambit have their own page on Tik Tok and Instagram at  k9_gambitandlewis