The San Diego County Sheriff's Department's first search and rescue bloodhound is ready to deploy with the department. Albert joined the Sheriff's Search and Rescue K-9 Unit in January 2022 as a 13-week-old puppy. CBS 8 has been following his journey. He spent more than a year training to become certified. He graduated from training at the end of March 2023 and received his badge from Sheriff Kelly A. Martinez. "It was pretty exciting," said Albert's handler, Pam Medhurst. She's been a volunteer with the unit for 24 years. "It was a lot of work, pretty intense training. It was a relief and a joy to be able to bring that back to the department," she added. Albert's mission is to help find missing and at-risk people. "I think [when people see] Albert, it’s hope for the family," said Medhurst. "They are able to see 'Yes, we have all these dogs out, all these searchers out and we also have Albert.' So they know we’re doing everything we possibly can to find their missing loved one." MORE: https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/san-diego-county-sheriffs-first-bloodhound-search-and-rescue-dog-ready-for-duty/509-6e93361d-a0f0-4535-a01a-2cdfb82c6fa2