Carbon County officials knew Tom Connors was a special breed.

Not only was he a good fit for leading the county dog shelter, but he is also a dog whisperer.

On Sept. 6, Connors showcased his skills during a search warrant execution by the Carbon County Drug Task Force at a home in Lansford where two large dogs were deemed a potential threat to law enforcement.

On Thursday, members of the Carbon County Police Chiefs Association, as well as the county sheriff, district attorney’s office and county detectives honored Connors for his help in being able to take over a pound of methamphetamine and other drugs off the street.

Sheriff Daniel Zeigler read a letter of commendation from the association.

“Mr. Connors has been an incredible asset to the entire county of Carbon and demonstrates an unwavering commitment to protecting not only the animals across the county, but the residents as well, and specifically in regards to the law enforcement community,” Zeigler said.

He continued that during the search warrant execution at a home in Lansford earlier this month, as law enforcement attempted to breach the home, they found two large dogs that could potentially attack them inside the residence.

Connors was called and was able to secure the animals while law enforcement executed the search warrant.

“Mr. Connors was instrumental in securing the dogs, which ensured the safety of the officers and allowed them to successfully serve the search warrant without incident,” Zeigler read, adding that Connors made sure the dogs were not injured during the search.

As a result of his help, Zeigler reported that the search netted 1.08 pounds of meth, 2.46 ounces of psilocybin mushrooms, 14.5 grams of marijuana, 36 tables of clonazepam, 77 Suboxone strips and a Smith and Wesson M28-2 .357 magnum revolver.

“We would not have been able to achieve those results successfully without Mr. Connors and the nine different agencies that participated in that operation,” Zeigler said.

Connors thanked the association for the recognition and said that he is here for the county.

“We’re here for you 24/7 and we always will be,” he said. “You can call me and count on me.” Connors said that the operations the Carbon County Drug Task Force did that day was “incredible to watch.”

“Our law enforcement in Carbon County, our first responders are second to none,” he said.

Connors added that dogs are sometimes hard to read, but with experience, he was able to learn traits that can help in situations like this.

Commissioner Wayne Nothstein thanked the officers from coming out to recognize one of the county’s employees.

“(Connors) is an outstanding employee when it comes to the animal shelter,” Nothstein said.

“Tom is the animal shelter,” Commissioner Rocky Ahner said.