HEEL BOY: Lieutenant Christopher Suarez commands K-9 Alpha to back off after he has conducted a fake search on Chief Charles Pettus.

BOSTON- Boston Summer Outreach Camp had a furry friend visit them Wednesday morning. Boston Police Department’s K-9 unit brought one of their dogs to the local library, where the camp meets weekly.

The camp is a summer program that encourages reading and learning while children are out of school. It spans the month of June and meets in the mornings. The 33 registered campers range from ages 5-14 and are given slips to track their total time spent reading.

Today’s session began with reading time while the campers waited for the officer to arrive. One of the camp facilitators read the children’s book “Love Is My Favorite Thing” by Emma Chicester Clark.

In addition to reading, Boston Summer Outreach Camp director Delores Hugans said that the kids have taken many field trips to museums outside of Boston, including Thomasville’s History Museum and the a museum focusing on the history of the Flint River in

Albany. She said they play games, go swimming and enjoy arts and crafts, as well.

Hugans said the children were very excited about seeing the K-9 dog on Wednesday.

This isn’t the first time the campers have learned about animals this summer. At a previous session this month, the children had an activity in which they met a parrot, tarantula, snake, baby wallaby, along with other animals and insects.

The officers arrived shortly after the children finished their book and laid down the safety precautions and rules.

“How we train the dogs is why some people view them as being aggressive,” Chief Charles Pettus explained. “They’re not, in their mind. They’re just playing when they chase down someone when they’re in criminal apprehension. That is a game to them.”

Pettus explained how the dog receives toys as a reward for following commands and being good, just as the children get toys and baby dolls when they listen to their parents.

After instructing the campers, Pettus and Officer J. Williams then led the facilitators and campers to a nearby church lawn, where they demonstrated basic K-9 training and commands. They began with walking Alpha, a male German Shepherd mix, across the lawn to demonstrate his obedience to his leash holder.

Along with Alpha, the K-9 unit also includes Kiki, a female dog who happened to be busy on Wednesday.

Alpha’s next task was to demonstrate an attack, in which Pettus placed his arm in a protected sleeve and hid from the dog. The children watched in fear and amazement as the dog tracked the chief down and sprung quickly into an attack, not letting go of his covered arm.

Lieutenant Christopher Suarez, Alpha’s handler, could physically pick Alpha up and drag him away but his jaws were still clamped on Pettus’ arm. Alpha didn’t let go until hearing a command and receiving his rubber chew toy.

“The dogs don’t have the ability to naturally be aggressive, or have aggressive behaviors” said the chief. “Those behaviors are taught.”

The officers noted that the K-9 dogs work closely and intelligently alongside the officers until they’re too old, at which point, they’re retired and cared for by officers, adopters and non-profit organizations.

After demonstrating how keen Alpha’s sense of smell is with drug and human odor detection, the dog returned to its natural state of loving chew toys and getting pets. Children lined up on the steps of the library to pose for photos and give the dog affection.