WASHINGTON (Nexstar) — U.S. Capitol Police courageously defends Congress and the capitol every day, but a select team patrols the grounds with their four-legged partners.

Meet Lord and Brend — when they aren’t playing catch, they are a real life “Paw Patrol.”

“He is my partner,” said former Marine Sean Haynes, who joined U.S. Capitol Police 33 years ago.

Lord is his fifth four-legged partner.

The K-9 unit is a select team within the U.S. Capitol Police Department. Each dog is paired with a technician, and together they go through an extensive training program before they report to the capitol.

“About four months of intense training. You and the dog learn together,” said

Jamah Hawes teamed up with Brend in 2018. Brend specializes in sniffing for explosive materials.

“When he is on odor, I can tell, because we’ve learned this together, so I know all his tells,” Hawes said.

But protecting Congress at the very heart of our democracy wasn’t on Hawes’ radar 21 years ago.

“I was an elementary school teacher over here in Fairfax County, Virginia, and once 9/11 happened, I saw advertisements for Capitol Police,” he explained.

The very day when three hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers and Pentagon, Haynes and his partner Fanto were on duty.

“A couple of K-9 teams were sent to the Pentagon to provide explosive detect capabilities during the recovery effort at the Pentagon, so I get a little teared up about this sometimes,” Haynes said.

“I am amazed of what these dogs are actually capable of,” Hawes said. “They do a lot for this country, and a lot of people don’t realize that.”