The Minnesota Capitol is a symbol of our state government and a place where you would expect to see our lawmakers in action. What you might not expect: A brown spotted dog, excitedly leading a Minnesota State Patrol trooper down a hallway, feverishly sniffing everything in sight as her tail wags.  But if you visit the Capitol, you just might see one of our State Patrol’s newest K-9 teams patrolling the grounds — Trooper Megan Brynell and K-9 partner, Maja. 

This team works together to keep the Capitol grounds safe. Brynell partners with Maja to sniff for explosive material, checking unattended bags or other suspicious items and conducting bomb sweeps.

 “Every day is a little different,” Brynell said. “If there’s an event or meeting, we’ll do a sweep beforehand and bounce around to different state-owned buildings around the complex.” 

This is a job Maja was born to do. She is a 2-year-old German Shorthaired pointer — a breed known for its keen sense of smell. 

Brynell and Maja graduated from the Minnesota State Patrol K-9 Unit training last June and received national certification in October. After hundreds of hours of rigorous training, Maja has developed the impressive ability to detect around 30 different odors. 

“She’s amazing,” Brynell said. “Once she gets an odor she will pull me directly to it.” 

When Maja detects the presence of explosive materials, she'll sit or lie down with her focus fixed on the area of interest. That’s when Brynell jumps into action — isolating the area to keep people safe and quickly notifying the bomb squad to investigate.

For Brynell, her new duty is a significant career milestone in her six years of service with the Minnesota State Patrol. After spending her first few years patrolling the roads in the Twin Cities Metro Area, Brynell set her sights on joining the K-9 Unit — a longtime career goal. “I just think one of the coolest things you can do in law enforcement is working with a dog. I love dogs,” Brynell said. “You go to work with your partner, bring them home — they’re part of your family, too.” 

It’s that bond between trooper and K-9 that helps keep Minnesota residents, visitors, lawmakers and staff members safe each day at the State Capitol.

Brynell and Maja are one of 13 Minnesota State Patrol K-9 teams. The other 12 teams are trained to sniff out illegal drugs destined for Minnesota communities.  

Learn more about the Minnesota State Patrol’s K-9 unit.