K9
nounUK /ˈkeɪnaɪn/ · US /ˈkeɪˌnaɪn/
Etymology Pseudo-acronym of canine, by phonetic similarity of the letter and number names with the two syllables of canine.
1
A trained police dog.
- Police working dogs (K9s) often have extremely close bonds with their handlers.2003, Nicholas H. Dodman, If Only They Could Speak: Stories About Pets and Their People, page 248:
- Originally a K9 dog for the police department, Captain was asked to resign for unknown reasons.2003, Trevor J. Orsinger, The Firefighter's Best Friend: Lives and Legends of Chicago Firehouse Dogs, page 90:
2 more examples
- Apollo, part of the New York Police Department K9 Search and Rescue team was on the scene of the disaster just 15 minutes after the disaster2005, Priya Kapoor, Nandita Jaishankar, VIPs: Very Important Pets, page 71:
- The Saitama Prefectural Police Department, for example, had no K9 units of its own, and relied on contract dogs exclusively.2006, Asa Nonami, Juliet Winters Carpenter, The Hunter: A Detective Takako Otomichi Mystery, page 134: