The St. Clair Township Police department has welcomed a four legged officer on its force.  Axel, an 18-month-old Belgian Malinois, is the only police dog in Columbiana County.

Officer Chris Davis recently graduated after six intense weeks of training in Sharpsburg, PA.

"It was the hardest thing I've ever done," said Davis. "He's trained in a lot. He does area searches, article searches, drugs, apprehension and tracking missing subjects."

Axel comes from Holland, so officer Davis had to learn Dutch.

Chief Donald Hyatt said the outpouring of community support for getting the funds to get Axel was overwhelming. "The outpouring of community organizations, civic groups, the money just rolled in quickly which said a lot about how our community feels about us," said Hyatt.

It's been 15 years since St. Clair police had a K9 unit, but Hyatt said the need for one is ten fold.

"My guys do a fantastic job. When you stop a car, with all the creativity these drug dealers have and where they hide narcotics, with him [Axel] on the scene, it's a no-brainer. He'll find it."

"If I was a drug dealer coming through St. Clair Township, I'd be hesistent," said Davis.

The community can see Axel in action on Saturday, May 25. He'll be performing during a public demonstration at Beaver Local High School at 1pm.