Robbinsdale PD welcomes K-9 officer in training
Published on February 24, 2026
A 13-month-old Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd mix is learning how to serve the Robbinsdale Police Department. This K-9 unit will be trained to find missing persons and evidence such as narcotics as well as apprehend suspects and protect human officers.
Robbinsdale’s new dog was born in Slovakia and tentatively named David. David is still a puppy; this was evident when he recently stole an officer’s breakfast sandwich. He is very eager to meet people and does not yet know any commands. However, the department expects him to be fully trained up in June.
Each K-9 unit has one human handler. David’s handler is Police Sgt. Miguel Robles. Robles told the Sun Post he was still deciding if “David” fits the dog’s personality. “Every dog in the European countries, they need a passport to travel,” Robles explained. “So for the passport, his name was David. … Sometimes the dog keeps the same name, often times it’s changed by the handler.”
In addition to working full time for the Robbinsdale Police Department, Robles works part time for Performance Kennels, a police dog training organization located in Buffalo.
Robles has nearly 20 years of experience in law enforcement, including training and handling two dogs for New Hope PD: Kody and Drago. Both dogs received acclaim from the United States Police Canine Association.
“My first dog, Kody, he was very successful. He had over 1,200 deployments. He found a lot of people, whether it be criminals or lost people,” Robles said.
“There was an elderly female with dementia who walked away from her home,” Robles recalled. “It was in the middle of winter, 10 below zero, four-hour time delay. Husband didn’t know exactly what time she left, but she left out the back door. [Kody] was able to successfully track her and ultimately save her life, because she was just wearing a nightgown in 10 below weather for upwards of four hours.”
Often, departments will assist each other in difficult or dangerous situations.