Russ Hess • USPCA Advanced Explosive Course • 2015 USPCA

Transcription

Canine
Courier
the united states police
canine association, inc.
december 2015
vol. 28, no.3
Russ Hess • USPCA Advanced Explosive Course • 2015 USPCA Field Trials
4 | Canine CourierDecember 2015
CONTENTS
IBE
R
C
S
B
U
S
TODAY!
Editor
Robert (Doc) Dougherty, Flourtown, PA
2015-2016 National Officers
President: Jason Brodt, St. Paul, MN
Secretary: Melinda Ruopp, Marshaltown, IA
Treasurer: James Matarese, Falmouth, VA
Trustees
Ron Bowling, Lakeland, FL
Wayne Steward, Prince William Co., VA
Harry Barraclough, Jr., Pensacola, FL
Cory Bowling, Lakeland, FL
Vice Presidents
Northeast – Carlos Rolon, Alexandria, VA
Southeast – Jeff Barrett, Lakeland, FL
Southwest – Noel Salamoni, Greenwell
Springs, LA
Central – Brian Stapleton, Chatham, IL
West – Tom Healy, Colorado Springs, CO
Northwest – Joshua Stenseth, Star Prairie, WI
USPCA Executive Director
Russ Hess
P.O. Box 80
Springboro, Ohio 45066
937.751.6459
Published Quarterly
by the U.S.P.C.A., Inc.
Business & Editorial Offices
Robert Dougherty Jr.
410 Norfolk Rd.
Flourtown, PA 19031
Phone: 610.316.3942
Fax: 215.948.3594
Email: uspcacourier@gmail.com
This publication assumes no tresponsibility for
statements made by contributors.
Website: www.uspcak9.com
Canine
Courier
Columns
7
9
10
10
10
11
12
12
15
Letters to/from the Editor
Director’s Report
President’s Message
Vice President-West
Vice President-Northwest
National Secretary
Treasurer’s Report
Calendar of Events
Region Reports
Features
23 Who is Russ Hess
32 USPCA Advanced Explosive Course
34SEARCHDOG
43 2015 USPCA National Field Trials
56 End of Watch
Trainer’s Corner
48 Trainer’s Corner
Canine Olfaction
On the cover:
USPCA Decoy Sgt Ty Thompson
Lakeland PD taken down by K9
Nox, Lakeland PD the USPCA
National Champion.
Photo by Joan Smith
Do you have a cover
photo?? Please submit high resolution
(300 dpi) photos for cover consideration to
Canine Courier: uspcacourier@gmail.com
THE UNITED STATES POLICE CANINE ASSOCIATION INCORPORATED
To The Membership
Much has happened since the last Canine Courier and I thank all of those
who have submitted information to our December issue. For many long time
members who know Russ Hess our present National Director fully understand the impact he has had on the Association. For new members I encourage you to read what has been submitted this issue about him, I learned
a few things and was able to get a sense of who he is. There is a fine line
between honoring someone in the present that has had such an impact on
the past without sounding like a eulogy. Russ, what you read herein is what
your friends and those who respect what you have done, and what you have
meant to them and the Association wishes you to know now.
In 1988 when I joined the USPCA many names were synonymous with the Association to include Russ Hess. I only met
Russ for the first time when he agreed to chief judge a Region 6 PD1 a few years ago. While our unit was practicing
some bite work a Chrysler PT Cruiser pulled up with Ohio tags driven by Russ. My first thought was “holy #*&@_! That’s
a small car for such a large physique”, my first statement to Russ as I shook his hand and thanked him for coming was
“you drove that from Ohio”? Russ just laughed and said, “yep, happy to be here thanks for inviting me”. After reading
what many have submitted this month on Russ, I should not have been surprised that he had no issue with driving to
our event and was grateful for being part of it.
Bob Dougherty - Editor
From The Membership
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Russ Hess on his retirement. I met
Russ 32 years ago, when I moved to Ohio,
and asked him if he and the Middletown, OH,
K-9 officers would bring some of their dogs
to my sons’ school to show to the students.
He did that. Afterward, I invited Russ and the
officers to our home, and suddenly I had five
police cars with dogs inside parked out front,
never realizing the interest that would elicit
in the neighborhood. Soon, every kid on the
street with a bike was parked outside waiting
to see what was up with these new neighbors
of theirs. My three sons, new to the street,
made a lot of new friends that day. It is a
fond memory now. Russ encouraged me to
go to the Region 5 activities, and soon I was
going to the trials that took place in our area.
I began talking to the officers and hearing
their stories, and that was the impetus of
my two books on police K-9s, Badge on My
Collar I and Badge on My Collar II. Russ was
a constant source of information for me as I
wrote them. Over the years, we have worked
on several projects together, mainly the two
books he wrote on the USPCA History. I have
always found Russ to be such a warm person
and one dedicated to the USPCA with all
his heart. He taught me a lot about the K-9
world, and we’ve had a lot of laughs along
the way. Take it easy in your retirement,
Russ. My wish for you is that there is always
a Tim Horton’s within a mile of wherever you
are. The apple fritters await, my friend!
Russ Hess never coveted the limelight, but
he took great pride in the accomplishments
of his fellow K-9 officers, and after years of
accumulating a massive amount of K-9 history, he decided to write a book so others
could enjoy it, and the USPCA Foundation
could benefit from its sale. The recording of
the USPCA’s history was in good hands. As
the past President and Executive Director
of the Association, Russ painstakingly assembled the history from the organization’s
inception to the present, recording the profiles of its early founders, the philosophy of
its early trainers, and the evolution of the efficient utilization of the police canine we see
in today’s law enforcement. As the USPCA
struggled through the throes of early organization, and finally emerged to become the respected organization it is today, Russ recognized that many good people had been at the
helm. Some are now legend, and Russ found
it important to always remember them. For
new officers just starting out in K-9, the history book introduced them to those founders
who formulated and shaped some of the very
techniques used today. The development of
the awards presented each year was explained, and the Roll Call of Heroes chapter
paid tribute to courageous officers that Russ
believed never should be forgotten. The book
became a valuable resource for K-9 handlers
and was a piece of history finally recorded for
all those who appreciate the unsung heroes,
as Russ always has.
A second book followed, K-9 Just the
Facts, which he wrote for the 40th anniversary of the USPCA. Again, he was the right
person at the right time. The second book
was a manual for those departments considering developing a K-9 unit, and it contained invaluable advice from a man who
had been there. As a supervisor, and middle
and upper manager, coupled with 15 years
as a K-9 handler, Russ was in the unique
position to advise on such a decision. He
had “held the leash,” instructed others, both
K-9 handlers and law enforcement officers,
and had a firm understanding of issues that
came with programs, employees, and dogs.
Both of these book projects were a tremendous undertaking and the USPCA is
richer for having both of them
— Marilyn Walton
I remember once at a USPCA Regional
trial the time Russ and I had a bet with other
k9 handlers that we could pass each other
under the crawl without touching each other, we won the bet – Skip Brewster
Russ was our mentor and extremely helpful in getting our Region started. He and two
other judges who’s name’s escape me were
the first judges for our first regional and
Russ was the Chief Judge for many, many
more PDI and Detector trials over the years
as he always said yes when asked.
During one of our Regional Certifications
in Mattoon, IL. Russ was the Chief Judge
and he also was judging and stewarded
the Agility portion. When I and my canine
partner Luger and arrived to the low crawl I
sent Luger to enter the crawl and he jumped
up on top of the crawl and sat. Several on
lookers started laughing. Russ said exercise complete and I said do I get the points
to which Russ said “no he did not complete
the exercise” and I jokingly said according
to the rule book and score sheets (late 80’s
early 90’s) “sir it says Dog failed to Jump,
and he did jump so do I get some points”?
Russ just started laughing and shaking he
head as he and the other judges took away
the 10 points. I know it’s not much but we
laughed about it at hospitality that night
— Mel Hohlt, Region 16
Russ Hess, where do I start? There are so
many stories, so many thoughts, so many
memories, I think I’ll just give a quick overview of him and what he has meant to me
and my region. I first contacted Russ in early
1984; I had graduated from basic handler’s
school and had been given his name by my
trainer (Wayne Anderson). I was wanting to
do an in service school for new handlers.
Russ agreed to come down to help with a
problem I and several other handlers were
having. This was the beginning of a great
friendship. He and Greg Obenchain came at
least once a year to do certifications for our
area. They were contacted a couple of times
on a Monday or a Tuesday to come down on
a Friday, and they never turned us down.
We eventually grew to become a USPCA
District and then a Region with Russ’s help.
I have called him many times while on the
training field with issues and asked for advice. Even before cell phones my phone bill
as well as his I’m sure were extremely high.
Just ask our wives.
I belonged to Region 5, Ohio for many
years until we formed a District. At one of
the first events I attended for narcotics
certification I got my handle/nick name/
email address. While working my dog on
the searches I kept saying “find the dope big
dog”. When I finished I received a certificate
with my name and K-9 Big Dog. Where else
can you show up and have “friends” decide
what you will be known by for a lifetime?
He was not above a practical joke or two.
One year when we finished vehicle searches,
every handler had alerted on a front wheel
of a vehicle. We all knew that was a positive
alert. However, when he called us all to the
search area to give us the finds, the hubcap
was popped off; it had a pair of dirty socks.
We could not believe our dogs had alerted
on socks. We knew that was a good find. We
had used distractors in training. Sometime
later they told us it had been planted after
the trials to give us a hard time.
Russ is a dear friend and mentor. Russ,
mow that you’ve retired you could come
down even quicker than in the past and you
surely have our open invitation – J.D. Toth
I have known Russ Hess for 30 years. He
is one of the nicest people I have ever known.
He is very considerate and always sees the
good in people. He is very knowledgeable
about Police dogs and the USPCA. He has a
great sense of humor and loves to play jokes
on people. I would like to share one of the
many practical jokes he has played on me.
I was attending one of the National Trials to Judge back in the 80’s. Russ was the
Chief Judge and I was an alternate Judge.
Russ wanted me to hang out with him. One
of my duties was to pack around his cell
phone which back then was the size of a
12 volt battery. I stayed with him for about
two days and then he decided to put me
in the Scorekeepers room to assist them.
I couldn’t figure out why. The night of the
Banquet all the Scorekeepers were given a
dozen red roses. Yes I was given a dozen red
roses.
Well I couldn’t see wasting the roses so
I brought them home. When my wife saw
them she teared up so I didn’t have the heart
to tell her how I got the roses. Well one night
in the hospitality 25 years later Russ and I
were cutting up about the jokes we had
played on one another. He brought that incident up and believe me my wife was not
happy. In closing I would like to say Russ you
are one of my dearest friends and one other
thing back in 2008 when LSU Tigers defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes in the National
BCS Championship game. I felt your pain !!!
LOL
— Lester David
REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR
Springfield, Illinois
If you missed the PDI Nationals
this year in Springfield, you missed
one of the best of the best. The crew
in Springfield pulled together making it an enjoyable week, with many
learning experiences for those who
wanted to partake of the educational
opportunities and discussions. The
police volunteers in the orange shirts,
all civilians, and police supporters,
made this trial truly memorable. No
judge, competitor, or spectator was
left wanting for anything. In today’s
attacks on law enforcement by the
media and by some members of
many communities, this was a pleasant and outstanding showing of the
admiration and support that exists
for police, and it is so much appreciated in these trying times. A job well
done Springfield and Region 16!
The End
This issue of the Canine Courier is
the last for which I will be your director. I have no regrets in my seventeen
years as director, and I truly appreciate the Executive Board’s and membership’s past and present support. I
also enjoy the good things that now
come with retiring. The many friends
and contacts within the USPCA, and
those Joan and I met along that road,
are priceless. No one can buy experience or wisdom, and being your director has given both Joan and me
that opportunity to gain both over the
years. No one can buy the shared
history of the USPCA we have experienced, or the opportunity to interact
with the great people that we have by
remaining relevant and involved year
after year, after year. Thank you all.
It would present an endless task
trying to list all those that have supported me during my tenure as Executive Director, so I will just say thanks
to everyone. But there are a couple
that I will single out. The following
Russ Hess
played a significant role in my longev- protecting the public.
The true reality of being retired (law
ity as your Director.
Mr. Don Sterling, who had a vision enforcement) is that I have moved
that the USPCA needed an Execu- into another circle of life. When I was
tive Director and then presented that working, I found, as I am sure many
proposal eighteen years ago to the of you have also, that law enforceExecutive Board provided new direc- ment officers tend to get cynical retion for the organization. Many don’t garding people. Rest assured that
know Don, or the part he played in in your community and others there
1970-71 in the forming of the US- are many more citizens that support
PCA, or the leadership he provided you than you are aware of. Keep your
faith in people.
then and later in that
I also need to acExecutive Director proDuring
knowledge Mike Dowden
posal. Don was also one
of the first national presimy years as who so freely gave his
talent and time to the USdents and was tireless in
his devotion to the US- director, I have PCA web page. Mike’s
expertise is valuable, and
PCA, even traveling to
met truly
I know his time is limited.
China to represent the
wonderful
Yet, he always found time
USPCA in police dog
to help our organization.
training at the University
people.
Because of Mike, our
of Beijing.
web page has not cost
During my years as
the association anything
director, I have met truly
wonderful people. There are a couple and has been self- supporting. But I
I need to say a special thanks too. also know that sometimes the revMrs. Marilyn Walton and the Walton enue did not reflect the true cost of
family I met 32 years ago as a han- operation. Mike, I thank you for the
dler while doing a K9 demo. I can- support you gave me and also the
not thank her, or her husband, John, continual support you gave to the
enough for the assistance they pro- USPCA.
vided me as director with many isJoan
sues that would arise. These issues
Many ask me how Joan, my wife,
resulted in advice regarding writing
and the opportunity to turn my ram- is doing. Since February of this year
blings into meaningful articles. In law Joan has been in and out of hosenforcement, we tend to become pitals and nursing homes. Just this
hardened on life as we deal with neg- week, Joan came home again. We
ative people and issues daily. Today, are both praying it’s the last time she
especially, it is easy for law enforce- has to be hospitalized. Thanks for
ment to feel targeted and not sup- the many prayers, emails, cards and
ported by the citizens. The Waltons, flowers sent Joan’s way. I owe the
I find, are like many others we do not executive board a Big Thanks also for
hear about in our community. Know- its support during these times.
ing them, and others like them, has
With retirement, I hope to remain
been a bright light in my life. Today, in the background and step aside
we hear negative rhetoric against as the association charts its way
the police by the vocal few, but rest into the future, but know that my
assured there are many citizens like thoughts and hopes will remain with
the Waltons that are thankful that you all of you who make the USPCA
and your partner are working and
continued on page 10
December 2015
www.uspcak9.com | 9
Presidents Message
Fellow Members,
I hope everyone had a great
summer and a good start to the fall.
I would like to Thank the members
of the Springfield Police Department and Region 16 for a great
time at the National Pd1 trials held
in September. They did a great job
and should be commended for
their work.
We have recently announced a
National Training seminar that is set
for February of 2016 in Anniston, Al
at the AMK9 training facility.
When I ran for president I said that
we needed to offer more training.
This is my first roll out of that. I will
have cadre of world-class instructors teaching a wide variety of topics.
The site is enormous and offers
endless opportunities for all kinds of
scenario-based training. I have kept
the cost low ($300) and you will not
find this amount of training for such
a low cost. I highly suggest that you
attend. It will be worth your while.
I am hoping
that
this
becomes
a
very
large
c o n f e re n c e /
workshop on
a yearly basis.
It will be what
we/you make
it. So let’s get
on board.
As always if there is something
you want form your association.
Please let your representatives
know. We are here for you.
Stay tuned for some other
exciting news towards the end of
the year as we continue to grow
the association forward into the
future.
Stay safe and get your dog out
of the car!!!
Jason Brodt
National President
United States Police Canine Assoc.
Vice President—West
By the time this issue of the Canine Courier is published it will be
well into the Holiday season which
is a good time to reflect on the year.
It’s also a good time to look forward
to the New Year, which I think holds
much in store for our Association. In
particular we should look forward to
the National Training Seminar that
the USPCA will host in February of
2016. This seminar will host a cadre of talented trainers and will offer
training on a wide variety of subjects.
In addition to providing some world
class training for our members, this
Editorial Correction
seminar has the potential to position
the USPCA as a provider / sponsor
of high quality training. Hopefully,
this will be the first of many seminars
that will establish the USPCA as a
leader in providing this kind of training product to the canine industry.
As you spend time with friends
and family this holiday season, take
a few minutes to remember those
officers who made the ultimate sacrifice this year.
Stay Safe.
Tom Healy
National VP for the West
I apologize for somehow omitting the name of the author for “K9
Rocky’s Survival Story” by Gretchen Powers, DVM.
Vice President
—Northwest
I hope all had a great summer and
a successful but safe one at that.
I would like to say thank you to all
the regions for getting some very
good training out to their regions
and continue to do so throughout
the remaining of 2015. All PD1, narcotics trials went well for all regions
and handlers from what I observed.
I would like to say congratulations to
the Saint Paul Police Canine Unit for
taking first place department team
and Region 18 for taking first place
regional team at the 2015 PD1 field
nationals in Springfield, IL.
There is a national training seminar getting put together for February 8th-12th 2016. Location will be
the AMK9 facility in Anniston, AL.
Topics will cover: Tracking, Building
Search, Swat Integration, Gas/Gunfire Acclimation, Detector dog problem solving, scenario based training.
The specifics along with registration
forms will be released to regions very
soon!!! Continue to train hard and be
safe out on the streets. Also as the
year ends please start to get your
2016 USPCA memberships into Melinda ASAP. STAY SAFE!!!
Thanks
Josh Stenseth
continued from page 9
what it is today, and the ones
who will make it even stronger
and continue the good work of all
those who came before you.
Happy Holiday’s
When this issue arrives we will
have just celebrated Thanksgiving
and will be entering the Christmas
Holidays. We have much to be
thankful for this holiday season.
Please remember our armed services and those serving at home
and overseas. To our many friends
and others Joan and I wish you
a Merry Christmas and a Happy
and Prosperous New Year.
God Bless the Peace Keepers,
Joan & Russ
REPORT OF THE NATIONAL SECRETARY
Merry Christmas! It doesn’t
seem possible that we are at
the end of 2015 already! Hard
to believe! As of the time of this
letter, our membership is just
over 2400. But it’s now time to
get those dues in for 2016! I’m
already getting some, so take
time now to start the ball rolling.
If you are one of those folks that
has trouble with your agency
getting it in on time, just pay
your own dues and have them
reimburse you! Might save you
down the road.
REMINDERS
If you are a national judge and
want to be called for a National Trial – I need your dues by
January 31st… no exceptions.
If you are qualified to be a Chief
Judge and want to Chief Judge
in 2016, I will need your dues
by January 31st as well. Trial
paperwork needs to be in to me
within 30 days of the trial. I continue to discover trials that never
get sent to me… Chief Judges
are responsible for that and
should look the trial over prior to
sending it in.
And Finally
Just a few highlights from the
National Executive Board meeting, held 9/20/15 in Springfield,
IL.
1) The following Judges were
approved:
Regional PDI
Ted Sealey, Robert Vetsch,
Wayne Gulsby, Leonard Prevatte, Bob Dudley, Brent Clapp,
Russell Weier and Robert Clark.
Regional Detector
James Logan, William Morgan,
Jr, Jay Curiel, Russell Weier
and Todd Maas.
Tracking
Russell Weier
National Detector Judges
Gary Pietropaolo, Harry Barraclough, Joe Kelly, Tim Frates,
Robert Dougherty, John Slavin
and Wesley Gargis.
2) The following Trainers were
approved:
Detector Trainer
Stephan Hauser
6) National Executive Director:
Russ Hess reported on sponsors
for our Association and thanked
them for all that they do for us.
The Tom Larson award is still
open for sponsorship and we are
working to fill that spot. The National Office thanked Russ for all
he has done in the years that he
has been our National Director.
The process of passing along
the torch has begun.
Level I
7) Training Development:
Mark Sydenstricker, Rob Vetsch, President Brodt introduced
Michael Walker.
Josh Stenseth from St Croix
3) A Bylaw change was read CO, WI who will be chairing a
during the meeting. It will be new committee called the Training Development Committee.
printed in this Courier as well.
4) Awards Committee: Larry This committee will work with
Love reminded everyone that the National Office and the
he will not accept cases that are Regions to keep the lines of
sent to him in PDF formats. He communication open between
must have it in a word format. us all for setting up new training
Also, tracking cases are con- opportunities. There are several
sidered a detector case, not a options in the works at this time.
patrol case.
8) Old Business: The 2016
5) Training Grounds: Madison
County SO in Huntsville was approved as a Patrol and Narcotic
Training Grounds. Metropolitan
Police Canine was approved as
a Patrol Training Ground.
Melinda Ruopp
9) Rules Committee: The
Proposed rules changes that
had been printed and read were
voted on. All of the rules changes were passed and will be effective January 1st, 2016. The
rules book that is ONLINE will
be reformatted and found online after the first of the year as
well. Below are snippets of the
changes that passed.
The Chief Judge for this
test must have a background
in explosive detection: Either
as an explosive detection dog
trainer, explosive detection dog
handler, or has successfully
completed the ATF evaluators
course or the USPCA sponsored Advance Explosive Canine Team & Evaluators course
Suspects and Decoys: There
can be a maximum of four “suspects” used in the entire event.
The Chief Judge shall determine their order of use, but each
suspect must hide for at least
National Field Trials will be held six dogs before being relieved
in Gloucester, NJ. They are by another suspect. A “suspect”
working hard on the event and must be at least 18 years old.
plan on a first class trial! 2015
When entering the test area, a
National Detector Trial results lack of willingness or enjoyment
were discussed.
continued on page 12
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ARTICLE XIV
RULES CHANGE: Remove the existing Article. Article is rewritten as listed below:
1.The National Executive Director
serves at the pleasure of the National
Executive Committee and under the
direct supervision of the National
President, National Secretary and
National Treasurer. The National
Executive Director will perform all
tasks that are directed to him/her by
the National Executive Committee.
2. The Directors term will be for three
years. The year will be January 1st
through December 31st.
3.
The National Executive Board
selects the Director. The Board presents
the Director and their contract to the
National Executive Committee for final
approval by a simple majority vote of
those present.
4. The National Executive Director will
be the Secretary of The Unites States
Police Canine Association Foundation.
December 2015
www.uspcak9.com | 11
Treasurers
Message
I want to wish everyone
safe and Happy Holidays. I
just have a few reminders
for everyone. First, in accordance with our Bylaws,
all Region Boards need to
send an end of year financial
report to me. My e-mail address is K9NORD@AOL.COM.
This does not need to be an
elaborate report. It should
report income, expenses and
an ending balance.
Second, please use the
“Amazon Smile” link whenever you shop on Amazon
(http://smile.amazon.com/
ch/20-1790610).
Anytime
you use this link to Amazon
and make a purchase, the
Foundation receives a donation.
Finally, I hope many of you
are planning on attending
our National Training Seminar in February. President
Brodt has put together an excellent crew of trainers and
training programs.
Jim
National Secretary Report continued…
on the part of the dog must be
penalized, as lack of precision
in the dog’s performance or
roughness in handling. The
dog must remain under the
control of the handler prior to
the nod of the handlers’ head,
which indicates the start of the
apprehension work. Should
the dog leave the handler and
make contact with the decoy,
the team will be penalized 10
points for each occurrence up
to a maximum of two times.
Should the k9 contact a decoy
a third time, the team will be
disqualified. (Straight attack
and gun fire to be considered
separate phases)
Narcotic testing: The test will
consist of two parts, vehicles
and interior rooms of a building. Regions wishing to offer
a test where marijuana is used
as a substance will use four (4)
separate narcotics for testing.
The following substances may
be used: marijuana, hashish,
cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine or any certified derivative of these narcotics. Regions
wishing to offer a test where
marijuana is not used as a substance will use at least three (3)
separate narcotics for testing.
The following three substances
may be used: Cocaine, Heroin, Methamphetamine or any
certified derivative of these
narcotics. The forth hide will be
any of the above (amount doubled in quantity) or MDMA or
Mushrooms to be determined
by the Chief Judge subject to
availability. If using a double
amount for one of the hides,
these two hides should be in
separate venues. (IE: 8 grams
coke inside and 16 grams coke
outside is acceptable)
Use of E-Collar: During testing, handlers will not carry any
leashes, remote controls or
paraphernalia that would indicate and attempt to control or
influence the dog, unless otherwise specified by these rules.
No whistles, ultrasonic devices
or related aides not specifically
stated herein will be allowed.
All these devices must be left
in the parking lot. Spike and
pinch collars are permitted
during testing. A dummy collar
or non-operational electronic
collar shall be allowed. Prior to
entering the testing field, a field
steward will check the K9’s
E-collar to ensure that the devise is a dummy collar or that it
is shut off. The competitor will
also hand the remote to the
steward prior to the exercise.
10) New Business: Philadelphia will be hosting the 2016
National Detector Dog Certification. Dates not available at
the time of the meeting. A National Training Seminar is also
in the works and we look to
be hearing more about this in
the near future. 2017 National
Field Trial has a couple of folks
expressing interest – Foley, AL
and Huntsville, AL. The Committee heard the details about
the contract for the New Executive Director. It was voted
on and approved. Dr. David
Ferland will be taking over as
our Executive Director in January of 2016. Russ Hess was
asked to stay on board with a
new position for the USPCA HISTORIAN. Russ was happy
to accept this position.
Thanks again to everyone for
all their hard work! I especially want to thank the Regional
Officers and all our Judges
– without you, it would be impossible for me to do my job!
As always, let me know if I can
assist you with anything!
2015-2016 Calendar of Events
Registration packets & additional information may also be found under EVENTS@ www.uspcak9.com
USPCA National Training Seminar
February 8–12, 2016
Fort McClellan in Anniston, AL
Host hotel:Hampton Inn, 1041 JD and L Dr. Jacksonville, AL 36265.
USPCA National Patrol Trial
September 25–30, 2016
Gloucester Township, NJ
USPCA National Detector Trial (Tentative)
June 5–8, 2016
Philadelphia, PA
USPCA Region 15 Training Seminar
December 10, 2015
Pamona, NJ
For more details see Region15 section of the Courier
Please keep the membership informed of events and boost your turnout by emailing uspcacourier@gmail.com subject line EVENT. Deadline for March
2016 Courier is February 1.
The Courier is always looking for good photos for consideration for publication and for the cover. The Courier is also interested in training articles or
other information written by our members which benefit the Association.
December 2015
The USPCA welcomes Crusade K-9 Academy our new
sponsor for the Captain Tom Larsen Award Please join us
in recognizing and supporting those that have taken on a
sponsorship and important programs that support USPCA
officers and K9’s. Without their generous help we could
not full fill our mission. Captain Tom Larsen was the first
K-9 handler in the State of Louisiana. Captain Larsen is
known as the father of K-9 in Louisiana and served with
the Baton Rouge Police Department. The captain believed
in the success of a police service dog depended on their
scenting ability. The Captain Tom Larsen Award goes to
the top combined scores of Article Search and Suspect
Search.
Region 3
MARYLAND • DELAWARE • VIRGINIA
Arlington County VA, Sheriff’s Office
Retirement of K9 Varius
last eleven years almost always in 4th place
or higher. K9 Varius’s will live out his years at
home with Corporal Grubar.
On Oct 8th K9 Varius retires after 11 years of
service to the Arlington county Virginia Sheriff’s
office and surrounding agencies. K9 Varius and
his handler Corporal Patrick Grubar have accumulated numerous awards and accolades over
the years. To include “top detector case of the
year” in 2009 and 2010.K9 Varius has certified
at the USPCA trials region 3 every year for the
Region 5
Patrol
Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, IN
K-9 Handler Robert Schmitt & K9
Boss
K9 Deputy Bryan Bishop and I conducted
a vehicle stop at Lodge Ave. and Taylor Ave.
on a 2012 Jeep Cherokee. We knew the
driver had an active felony warrant for dealing methamphetamine. We also knew that
a passenger, Arthur Peyton, also had an
active felony warrant related to narcotics.
Peyton had several prior narcotics arrests
and an officer safety alert for being known
to carry weapons, including rifles.
Once the stop was initiated I ordered the
driver out of the vehicle with hands shown.
He complied and was subsequently placed
into custody by Deputy Bishop. The front
seat passenger then stepped out of the
vehicle. When he exited I could see that
P
CHECK
YOUR
DATES
OHIO • KENTUCKY • INDIANA
it was Arthur Peyton. Peyton initially exited the vehicle with hands up but, after a
couple seconds he took off running east on
Taylor. Peyton had his hands in the front of
his pants and I could not see them.
Braden was in custody and with Deputy Bishop. There was still another subject
in the back seat of the car. Due to Peyton
having an active felony warrant, fleeing the
stop, not being able to see his hands, and
knowing that he was probably armed with a
weapon I deployed my certified K9 partner,
Boss. Deputy Bishop held the other passenger in the car while I placed a tracking lead
and harness on K9 Boss. After two loud K9
warnings we began to track Peyton. We went
east on Taylor for a block and then turned
south between two houses. We found that
Peyton had shed his shirt and lost his shoes.
We continued south to an east-west alley,
north of Ravenswood. Boss tracked east
in the alley across Benninghoff to Englewood. At Englewood, Boss turned south to
Ravenswood. He then picked the track back
up and continued east on Ravenswood. As
we approached Rotherwood, I saw a black
male step up from behind a parked car. I
recognized that subject as Arthur Peyton.
Peyton was ordered to the ground where he
was placed into custody be EPD Det. Ward.
Peyton stated he ran because he knew he
had warrants. He told me that he decided to
give up when he heard Boss coming down
the street and did not want to get bitten.
The track covered several city blocks between houses and down alleys. Without
Boss the violent offender may have not
been located.
Peyton had several grams of methamphetamine in his pocket. There was an
additional ounce of crystal methamphetamine inside the vehicle.
Renewal Membership Date: January 1, 2016.
Canine Courier article & photo submission deadlines:
February 1st • May 1st • August 1st • November 1st.
December 2015
Region 6
On October 24, 2016 Region 6 held its
annual Iron Dog Competition hosted by
the SEPTA Police Department and K9
Unit. The weather was great and the 20+
competitors enjoyed a day out with their
partners, friends and family. Thank you to
SEPTA head K9 Trainer Dave Parke and all
the SEPTA police officers and employees
PENNSYLVANIA
that make this event special. This is also
the time that toys for children are donated
by participants and guests and collected
for appropriate distribution during the holidays (Thanks US Army!!). As always this
event is in honor of Brad Fox of the Plymouth Township Police Department who
was killed in the line of duty in September
2012. This year over $2,000 dollars was
raised during the event and presented to
the Philadelphia Police Departments 22nd
District to benefit the family of fallen hero
Sgt. Robert Wilson III killed in the line of
duty.
Region 6
Patrol
K9 Officer Andy Simkiw & K9 Jake
Township of Warminster, PA
On May 17, 2015 at 0155 hours, Warminster
Police responded to the area of Kemper Drive
for a report of a suicidal male. Units responded
and gathered information and a description of
the male. Officer Simkiw and K9 Jake arrived
and began a search of the area by vehicle
since the call was only a few minutes old.
Responding Officers put out flash information
and advised that the male took an undetermined amount of Percocet and Xanax before
fleeing. After a few minutes of searching the
area with negative results, a supervisor called
the K9 team over to talk with the subject’s sister and try and ascertain where she last observed him. She gave a general area, but had
an article of his clothing that he left behind.
The subject’s pants were placed on the
ground close to the area where the subject
was last observed by the sister. K9 Jake was
deployed atop of the pants and was commanded to “track”. Jake immediately tracked west
on Deer Run, crossed the street and continued
through the front yard of a residence and then
through a breezeway to a fence. Jake wanted
to get over the fence so a gate was located
and opened to let Jake continue tracking. Jake
tracked through that yard to another fence and
attempted to get over that fence. This behavior and tracking continued for several fenced
in yards, each time Jake picked up the scent
and continued tracking. In what would be the
last yard, Jake lifted his head and began air
scenting at the rear fence line. He also slowed
his breathing and tilted his head as if he was
listening for something. When Jake was quiet, the sound of someone snoring in the yard
directly in front of the team could be heard.
Through the shrubs and bushes a male was
observed laying in the yard on his back. Back
up units were alerted to the find and to the
location of the house. Officer Simkiw lit up a
tree with his flashlight so arriving units knew
where to go. Officers responded to the yard
where they found the subject unconscious,
but breathing with an empty pill bottle in his
hand. A squad was called and the medics
were able to revive the male and transport him
to the hospital. While en-route to the hospital,
the male stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated in the rear of the ambulance. If not
for the short track and the dedication to the
task by the K9 team, the subject would have
most likely died in the back yard of the home
he was found.
Region 6
Patrol
K9 Deputy Tom Franklin & K9 Behr
Montgomery County Sheriff’s
Department, PA
On October 21, 2015 at 0315 hours a warrant
team observed a male sleeping inside a residence they believed to be their target. The warrant team knocked on the door and the male
was observed moving from the couch to an unknown location. A perimeter had already been
established and the male did not exit the property. The homeowner answered the door for the
warrant team and when questioned about the
male sleeping, she told the Sheriff’s that she
did not know where he went, but confirmed the
subject to be the target of the warrant service.
The homeowner stated that nobody else would
be in the residence other than their target. The
homeowner agreed to leave and K9 Deputy
Tom Franklin and K9 Behr who were assigned
to the warrant team this date, entered the
residence to locate the target. A warning announcement was made several times and when
no response was heard, K9 Behr was deployed
into the first floor with no indication. K9 Behr
was then about to be deployed into the basement as Franklin made another announcement.
The target at this time yelled back that he was
coming upstairs and not to release the police
dog. Deputy Franklin ordered the target to lay
flat on his stomach and not to move as the warrant team moved passed him and K9 Behr to
affect an arrest without further incident.
Region 7
Patrol Case
Police Office Ricardo Rivera
& K9 Bane
City of Newburgh, NY Police
Department
On September 28, 2015 at approximately
1715 hrs, City of Newburgh Police Patrol Division responded to Hasbrouck Street for a report of a man with a gun. Upon Officers arrival,
male party later identified as Raiquan Falls fled
into the rear yards of several houses while at-
NEW YORK
tempting to elude officers. After locating Falls,
he fled from Officers who pursued after him
and ultimately placed him into custody.
Once taken into custody and searched, Mr.
Falls was no longer in possession of a gun
described by witnesses. K9 Officer Ricardo
Rivera and K9 Bane whom had just recently
graduated the K9 Patrol academy with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department were contacted at home and requested to respond to
the scene to conduct an article search of the
area for any items of evidentiary value.
After arriving on scene, Officer Rivera and K9
Bane began an article search of the area the
suspect was observed in and believed to have
been in. After searching for approximately 5
minutes, K9 Bane indicated the presence of
an article in a bush, not visible to the human
eye. Upon closer examination, K9 Bane had
indicated on a loaded firearm that appeared
to have been tossed or hidden by suspect
Raiquan Falls. Said firearm was a .38 special
Colt revolver that was loaded and matched
the description of the firearm described by
witnesses.
December 2015
Region 9
Region 9 Patrol Case,
1st Quarter, 2015
Officer Christopher St. Pierre and K-9
Gunther
Old Orchard Police Department, ME
On 09/12/2015, Officer Christopher St.
Pierre responded to a K-9 request in the
neighboring town of Saco on the Ferry
Road. Lt. DeLuca was at the scene were
the State Police had been involved in a
chase and the vehicle had crashed near
a house on Ferry Lane. Officer St. Pierre
received information the driver was apprehended and placed under arrest, and the
passenger had fled the scene. A State
Police K-9 had just started a track from
the vehicle. The suspects were involved in
a bank robbery in Lewiston and the passenger was armed with a handgun. Officer
St. Pierre received information to try to stay
ahead of the track on the roads and take
MAINE/ EASTERN CANADA
up perimeter positions, and be ready to deploy K-9 Gunther if the suspect crossed a
perimeter at any point.
Officer Pierre left the scene and went to
the entrance of the Rod and Gun club.
After a short while, Cpl. Maksut received
radio traffic from dispatch that a male
matching the description was seen running
through the back yard of 514 Ferry Road.
Cpl. Maksut and Officer Pierre responded
to that location. Officer Pierre deployed K-9
Gunther after making two announcements
to give the suspect a chance to surrender.
Officer Pierre then cast K-9 Gunther
around the area of the woods edge. K-9
Gunther picked up a track and began to pull
with good tracking posture. Trooper Cook
and Officer Tibbetts served as back up officers. K-9 Gunther pulled quickly through
thethick vegetation. The K-9 team came
to an area and K-9 Gunther picked up his
head, air scenting in the area of a small
fort made by kids. Trooper Cook and Officer
Tibbetts cleared the fort and K-9 Gunther
continued to track. K-9 Gunther was pulling
through thick areas of vegetation and not
going into open areas. K-9 Gunther pulled
across an open trail and continued in the
thick vegetation.
They came up to another small fort and it
was again cleared by the backup officers.
K-9 Gunther continued to pull. K-9 Gunther
suddenly lifted his head and began to run
as fast as he could. Officer Pierre looked
up and saw the suspect approximately fifty
yards away. He made several announcements of “stop police, you are under arrest,
I will release the dog, he will bite you”.
The K-9 team and officers then ran after
the suspect who began to run away. The
suspect then turned to look back and Officer Pierre told him to stop or he would
send the dog. The suspect stopped. Officer
Pierre told the suspect to show his hands.
The suspect was slow to do this and Officer Pierre told him to show his hands or
he would shoot. The suspect then surrendered and put his hands up. The suspect
was searched at gunpoint and arrested.
He had a bag with a large amount of money
on his person.
Region 10
Region 10 – Detector Case
Cpl. Lynn D. McClung & K9 Buffy
K9 Division of the Grant Parish
Sherriff’s Office
On 8-6-2015 a deputy of the Grant Parish
Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop of a
vehicle for modified exhaust, tail lights required, and also license plate light required.
LOUISIANA
The driver seemed nervous and sweaty and
consent to search the vehicle was denied by
the driver. Cpl. Dan McClung and myself were
called to the scene to conduct a K9 sniff using
my partner K9 Buffy. K9 Buffy was deployed
and conducted a clean air sniff of the outside
of the vehicle reverse search pattern where K9
Buffy alerted to the odor of narcotics around
the door area of the vehicle. Upon searching the vehicle led to the arrest of a 44 year
Region 12
Region 12
Detector
Deputy Christian Jung & K9 Dugan
Hennepin Co. Sherriff’s Office, MN
The following resulted in the seizure of approximately 453 grams of methamphetamine
in crystal form.
At approximately 2100hrs, I was contacted by
Agent B. Pazernik from the BCA in reference to
a vehicle possibly involved in illegal narcotics
activities. Agent Pazernik told me she had information the occupants of MN # 319MKU were
enroute to the Twins Cities area from Willmar in
order to pick up a quantity of narcotics. Agent
Pazernik requested that after the pickup Deputies conduct a legal traffic stop on the vehicle
and ultimately conduct an exterior K9 sniff in an
attempt to locate any concealed narcotics that
may be inside the vehicle. After the occupants
of MN # 319MKU were believed to have made
the narcotics pick up in St Paul I was again
contacted by Agent Pazernik. She requested
Deputies wait until the vehicle gets a distance
away from the pickup location than conduct
the stop. Sgt Cline was eventually able to locate the vehicle with the assistance of Agents.
Sgt Cline conducted the stop based on several
WESTERN MINNESOTA
observed traffic violations on Hwy 12 at Co RD
15 in Wayzata. Sgt Cline made contact with the
driver, who was ID’d as Rebecca Harper and the
passenger who was ID’d as the Vehicle’s RO,
Lazaro Soliz. A routine DL/Warrant check was
completed. Both parties were found to be valid
and clear. After completing the checks I spoke
with Harper away from Soliz. Upon questioning
her about events prior to the stop, Harper told
me Soliz and her came from Willmar and went
to an Apple Bee’s in St Paul. She stated Soliz
and she met one of Soliz’s girlfriend there for
dinner. She then told me they were on their way
back to Willmar. After both parties were questioned about events prior to the stop I requested
they both step out of the vehicle and stand next
to my squad. Based on the reasonable suspicion Soliz may have concealed narcotics inside
the vehicle it was requested by Agents I use my
K9 and conduct an exterior sniff of the vehicle in
an attempt to locate the illegal substance. With
K9 Dugan, who is currently certified in the detection of narcotics through the USPCA, an exterior sniff was conducted. Starting on the rear
passenger side tire I detailed Dugan in a counter clockwise motion around the vehicle. Upon
reaching the grill just to the right of the passenger side headlight I noticed and distinct change
in Dugan’s behavior. His breathing deepened
and he appeared very focused on the area. Af-
Region 13
Region 13
Detector
Sgt. Robin Curtis & K9 Rocky
Wilson Co. Sheriff’s Department, TN
On 07/10/2015, Sgt. Robin Curtis and his
old male subject for possession of methamphetamine intent to distribute (4.7 grams in
4 separate baggies) possession of firearms
by convicted felon (two 1911 45 auto pistols)
possession of marijuana , possession of firearms with CDs possession of drug paraphernalia (glass pipes, digital scales) and over
$1800 dollars in cash was seized, along with
several traffic charges.
ter sniffing the area for several seconds Dugan
began to scratch and bite at it before going into
a final response sit. This behavior indicated to
me he was in the presence of a narcotic odor he
is trained to detect. After the sit, I continued detailing Dugan around the vehicle. Upon reaching
the passenger side door he again displayed the
same behavior while sniffing the door handle.
He began to scratch and bite the handle before going into a sit. After the second response
I continued detailing the vehicle. Upon reaching
the grill a second time Dugan again indicated in
the same spot as before. After completing the
vehicle sniff I kenneled Dugan in my squad. I
advised Sgt Cline of the alerts. Based on Dugan’s positive alert to two separate areas on
the vehicle a search was conducted. Nothing
was located inside the vehicle. Upon searching
the engine compartment, I located a plastic bag
directly behind the grill and in front of the radiator area where Dugan alerted to. Inside the bag
was a clear plastic bag containing a quantity of
suspected crystal methamphetamine. Agents
were advised of the K9 alerts and the narcotics
find. At the request of Agents both Harper and
Soliz were taken into custody.
WESTERN TENNESSEE
partner K9 Rocky were called by the narcotics division of the Wilson County Sheriff’s
Department to a residence they suspected to
have large amounts of currency and narcotics
hidden within the home. Upon conducting a
search of the residence, K9 Rocky indicated
on a large safe hidden in the bedroom closet.
After removing the safe and cutting the door
off it was found to contain approximately thirty
thousand dollars and several AR-15’s.
Upon further search of the grounds around
the residence K9 Rocky indicated on what
appeared to be an abandoned vehicle located
December 2015
at the back of the residence. This vehicle was
found to have approximately sixty pounds of
marijuana in the trunk compartment.
Patrol
Officer Steve Holland and K-9 Kaos
Officer J.D. Young and K-9 Echo
Metro Nashville, TN Police Dept.
Special Operations/Canine Unit
On the morning of July 12th, 2015 patrol
officers pursued two carjacking suspects
through a neighborhood in North Nashville.
Eventually the suspects were lost sight of,
and Officer Holland and K-9 Kaos responded to the location to begin a track. Shortly
after deploying, Kaos located a backpack
concealed in high grass containing the cell
phone of one of the victims as well as other
stolen items. While recovering this evidence
the two suspects emerged from an adjacent
yard and took off running. As Kaos began to
pursue them, one suspect turned around and
surrendered while the second one continued
to flee. Kaos chased the fleeing suspect while
the other was taken into custody by patrol
officers without further incident due to the
presence of the canine. As Kaos pursued the
suspect across several yards his lead became
wedged underneath a tire of a parked car and
restricted his movement allowing the suspect
to make it into another wooded area where he
was lost sight of.
Officer Holland caught up with Kaos, freed
him from his entanglement, and started a
second track of the suspect. While tracking
through the wooded area Kaos located a second backpack that the outstanding suspect
Sgt. Robin Curtis and his partner K9 Rocky
had been observed running with moments
prior, and inside was the pistol that had been
used during the carjacking. While Officer Holland was securing this evidence the suspect
emerged from the other side of the wood line
and began to flee again. Kaos began to pursue the suspect but was unable to catch up
to him before he climbed over a high fence
and disappeared into another backyard. At this
point Kaos had begun to exhibit signs of heat
exhaustion making it dangerous for him to
continue. Officer Young and K-9 Echo arrived
to continue where Kaos had left off.
Officer Young deployed K-9 Echo to track
the remaining outstanding suspect. K-9 Echo
immediately picked up the scent of the suspect and began tracking through backyards
until they came to a house on Troy Drive. K-9
Region 14
Region 14
Detector Case
Deputy Mark Miller & K9 Axel
El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, CO
On 09-03-15 at approximately 1948 hours Deputy Mark Miller and
K-9 Axel assisted the Metro Vice and Narcotics Unit (VNI) with a traffic
wall stop in the area of North I-25 and Interquest Parkway resulting
in locating 177.98 grams of methamphetamine and with an estimated
value of $90,000.00.
Echo was pulling hard and was searching an
area near a carport, when he tracked up to a
small shed on the backside of the house. Officer Young and Holland opened the door and
the second suspect was attempting to conceal
himself as he sat on top of a riding lawnmower.
Officer Young gave the suspect commands to
show his hands, but the suspect refused and
K-9 Echo apprehended the suspect on his left
shoulder. After the suspect was taken into
custody and transported to Vanderbilt Hospital,
detectives began investigating the two suspects
and their connection to other carjacking’s that
had taken place across Nashville.
The pair were eventually convicted in juvenile court of aggravated robbery and weapons
possession, but are still being investigated for
their involvement in other robberies.
COLORADO
Sergeant Mahan asked that I wait until they identified the vehicle in
question and then assist with a traffic stop on the vehicle if any violations
were observed. I responded to my assigned location and waited for the
vehicle description and direction of travel. While waiting, VNI had identified the vehicle and changed the location of the staging location. I then
responded to Monument, Colorado area and set up at Second Street and
Jefferson Street. The vehicle moved from its location in Monument and
was described as a red Honda Civic with a temporary plate in the rear
window of 706737N. The vehicle was reported to be traveling southbound on I-25 at approximately 90 plus miles per hour. I attempted
to catch up to the vehicle based on the speeding report and perform
a traffic stop but was not able to catch them.
The vehicle was pulled over by the Colorado
Springs Police Department at 1405 Jamboree
Drive. This address is the Salt Grass Steak
House. The operator stopped the vehicle at
the entrance to the parking lot of this address.
I was able to assist with cover at this location
and had a second Colorado Springs Police
Department officer that stopped also. The vehicle City had stopped was a red Honda Civic
bearing the temporary plate of 706737N. This
matched the vehicle that I was asked to try
and initiate a traffic stop on. The initiating Colorado Springs Police Department officer took
the lead on the traffic stop.
The request was made for K-9 Axel to conduct a sniff of the vehicle. K-9 Axel started
his sniff on the exterior of the vehicle at the
front grill area. He worked his way down the
driver’s side towards the back and across the
trunk area. At this point I had K-9 Axel turn
and start back across the trunk, up the driver’s side towards the front of the vehicle and
across the front to the passenger side. K-9
Axel then worked his way down the passenger side of the vehicle towards the trunk and
across the trunk. At this point I had K-9 Axel
turn and work back across the trunk and up
the passenger side towards the front. K-9
Axel demonstrated a change in behavior on
the passenger side exterior of the vehicle near
the open passenger window and the hood
area. He jumped onto the vehicle with his
front paws and sniffed the area of the cowling. The cowling area I am referring to is the
area where the windshield meets the plastic
cover. This is the location that the windshield
wipers mount. K-9 Axel’s change in behavior
showed a definite focused response to odor
on the open window area and the cowling. I
recognize this behavior as how K-9 Axel will
act when he has detected the odor of narcotics and is attempting to pinpoint the strongest
area of the odor. K-9 Axel was showing strong
interest of wanting to go inside the vehicle.
K-9 Axel was allowed to enter the vehicle on
the passenger side, the area of the strongest
interest. He went immediately to the glove
box, located on the passenger side dashboard,
towards the top next to a heater and air conditioning vent. This vent would be the one closest to the door and near the area of the cowling where the strongest interest was. K-9 Axel
made a focused response to odor of narcotics.
He did this by attempting to sit and stare at
the location of the odor. He then looked at me,
another indication when he is in odor, that he
has identified the presence of narcotics odor.
K-9 Axel then became frustrated and bit the
dashboard area causing a tear in the cover.
Again this is behavior I recognize K-9 Axel to
display when he has detected the odor of narcotics and I have not acknowledged the alert
by giving him his reward.
This information was passed on to the Metro
VNI detectives and they took over the remainder of the stop. I did observe that there was a
sock removed from high under the dashboard
behind the glove box and behind the vent. I
observed that there were round clear plastic
wrapped items removed from the sock. These
items had the shape of round balls and had
the same consistency as what I recognize to
be packaged narcotics.
Region 15
Region 15 Training Seminar
K-9 Unit Management
December 10th at 9:00 am – 5:00 PM
Richard Stockton University
101 Vera King Farris Drive, Pomona, NJ
This seminar is designed for K-9 supervisors, K-9 trainers and K-9 handlers. The course will cover everything from handler and dog selection,
New Jersey Attorney General Guidelines, Fair Labor Standards Act/Garcia
Decision, supervisor and handler responsibility and liability, policy and
procedures as well as a variety of topics that are important to those in
the police dog world.
The lead instructor will be retired Police Chief Thomas Conroy and several trainers from the United States Police Canine Association (USPCA).
This course will offer a certification with region 15 of the U.S.P.C.A.
upon successful completion of the training.
This training is being offered at NO COST to anyone wishing to attend.
Registration can be secured by contacting the USPCA Region 15 president Louis Kaelin at 856-498-5690 or by email at dieselk3@yahoo.com.
December 2015
Region 16
Region 16 – Detector
City of Springfield Police Dept, IL
Officer Ryan Maddox & K9 Dogi
The following case resulted in multiple narcotic sniffs, which ultimately lead to a GPS tracking device, a seizure of $41,925.00 of United
States Currency, a residential search warrant,
and the seizure of 59.53g of powder cocaine,
and 32.69g of cannabis.
On July 1, 2015, Officer Leach received information from the Central Illinois Enforcement Group
(CIEG) of suspected narcotic transactions taking
place at a residence located on the east side of
Springfield, Illinois. Officer Leach’s current assignment as a Neighborhood Police Officer allowed
for him to conduct a stationary surveillance of the
residence. The purpose of this surveillance was to
identify or determine any possible behaviors that
were consistent with narcotics trafficking.
At approximately 5:40pm, Officer Leach observed a blue 1999 Toyota Corolla enter the
driveway of this residence. The driver, later
identified as Margaret Rawls, exited her vehicle
and proceeded to walk towards the trunk. She
quickly opened the truck, removed a black duffle bag, and carried it to the front door of this
residence. Rawls and an unknown occupant of
the residence briefly spoke as she handed over
the duffle bag and returned to her vehicle. Rawls left the residence in the direction she originally traveled from. This type of behavior was
clearly consistent with narcotics trafficking.
At 5:49pm, Officer Leach conducted a lawful
traffic stop on Rawls’ vehicle in the 2100 block
of East Cook Street, Springfield IL. During their
conversation, Rawls’ person exhibited numerous
indicators of nervousness as she spoke with Officer Leach. She refused to maintain eye contact;
however when she would look at him she quickly
looked away. Her breathing was rapid, and her
upper body was shaking. Her nervousness was
not consistent with the minor violation in which
she was informed her vehicle was stopped for.
Officer Leach, throughout his training, knowledge, and experience is aware that subjects
who sell illegal narcotics will make every attempt to avoid detection. By doing so, they will
use people, who are unsuspecting to the police
to move contraband. This was consistent with
Rawls and her behavior.
Due to her nervous behavior, Officer Leach
continued to ask her of her route of travel and
MISSOURI • ILLINOIS
the stops she made prior to his contact with her.
Rawls stated she was traveling from her nephew’s residence; however, she was unable to provide the name of her family member after being
asked three separate times. Rawls was finally
able to stutter the name of “Tony”.
Rawls was asked to exit her vehicle to which she
complied. Once on her feet, she began staring
at the trunk. She began making odd comments
about gnats and the legalities of possessing
a knife. It appeared as if she was trying to take
Officer Leach’s attention away from the trunk of
the vehicle. Rawls was asked for her consent to
search her vehicle and its contents. She gave consent, and Officer Leach requested my response to
assist. Upon his asking if she possessed anything
illegal, Rawls replied, “I don’t think so”. Upon my
arrival, he searched the vehicle without locating
any illegal narcotics or evidence. At the conclusion
of his physical search, Officer Leach asked for me
to conduct a free air sniff of the vehicle with my
narcotics Canine, “Dōgi”.
I deployed Canine Dōgi from my squad car and
walked him along the passenger side of the vehicle towards the right front tire. It should be noted, at the time Dōgi walked past the rear of the
vehicle, his head snapped towards the trunk lid
and began pulling me towards this portion of the
vehicle. I gave him a command to start a narcotics
sniff of the vehicle. He proceeded past the front
bumper, along the driver’s side, and lastly towards
the trunk. During this sweep, his breathing was
shallow and rapid as he smelled each body panel.
His body was parallel with the vehicle. Once Dōgi
reached the trunk lid, he immediately squared his
body to the vehicle and began taking long, deep,
analyzing breaths of the seam separating the trunk
lid from the rear bumper. Dōgi raised his paws to
the trunk lid and began aggressively scratching
this panel. Dōgi completed sniffing the passenger
side of the vehicle with the same response as the
driver’s side. I turned Dōgi around on the passenger side of the vehicle and walked in the opposite
direction as I first started. Again, he aggressively
scratched on the trunk lid in the same aforementioned manner. Due to this response, I recognized
this behavior as a positive alert to the presence
of narcotic odor based on numerous confirmed
narcotic sources.
Officer Leach was provided with my observations. It was at that time he informed me of the observations he made of Rawls possibly conducting
a narcotics delivery. The area in which Dōgi alerted
to on the trunk was the same area in which the
duffle bag was removed from the vehicle.
After the obvious canine alert, Rawls stated that
she “smokes weed” sometimes. Officer Leach
asked if she would like him to further explain why
a narcotics canine was called to sniff her vehicle.
She quickly answered, “No, that’s okay. Can I just
leave now?” She was released without any charges.
Officer Leach and I relayed this information to
the investigators with CIEG. Rawls was further
investigated and discovered to have a history
of being a “mule” for narcotics trafficking. She
was previously arrested after being caught with
a large amount of narcotics in her vehicle while
making a delivery.
The investigators of CIEG sought a court order
to place a GPS tacking device on Rawls vehicle.
The order was approved, and they began monitoring her activity.
On 07-27-2015, I received information that Rawls’ vehicle traveled near Chicago, Illinois. Her vehicle was only in Chicago for approximately one hour
before turning around and traveling south towards
Springfield. Again, this behavior is consistent with
behavior of a person making a “narcotics run.”
At approximately 4:06pm, Illinois State Police
Trooper K. Howell (9-K9-2) conducted a traffic
stop on Rawls’ vehicle on Illinois Interstate 55
at the 104 mile marker. At the time of this stop, I
responded to assist as a back-up officer.
Upon my arrival, Trooper Howell was speaking
with the driver who I recognized to be Rawls. She
was the sole occupant of the vehicle. During this
conversation, Rawls was asked to exit the vehicle. Trooper Howell asked for me to conduct a
free air sniff of the vehicle with Canine Dōgiwhile
he spoke with her.
I deployed Dōgi to the front passenger side tire.
I gave him a command to begin a narcotics sniff
of the vehicle. I initiated this sniff by sweeping
past the front bumper, along the driver’s side,
and to the rear bumper. During this sweep, his
breathing was shallow and rapid. His body was
parallel to the vehicle as he sniffed each body
panel. I completed the initial sweep of the vehicle
and began a detailed sniff of each body panel
and seam. Once Dōgi reached the driver’s door
of the vehicle, he immediately stopped all walking progression and began taking long, deep,
and analyzing breaths of the seam separating
the front and rear doors. He squared his body to
the vehicle, pulled against me, and sniffed along
this seam to the driver’s side door handle. I observed him again taking long, deep, and analyzcontinued on page 39
Who is
Russ Hess
R
uss was a charter founding member in 1971 when
the Florida K-9 Association merged with the United Canine Association to form the United
States Police Canine Association.
As is the nature of time, age, and
wisdom Russ Hess’s decision to
step aside from the position of National Director of the United States
Police Canine Association (USPCA) is one that just happens. The
Association which owes him their
gratitude and respect thanks Russ
very much for what he has accomplished and what he has meant to
the Association.
Russ Hess has been the captain
of the ship known as the USPCA
for the past 17 years as Executive
Director. In 1966 Russ became a
Police Officer with the City of Middleton OH, a Steel town with a
paper mill and twice as many bars
as churches. Townsfolk acted up
Friday nights and then all went to
church together on Sundays. Russ
served Middleton as a Patrol Officer, a K-9 Handler, a Detective,
and was eventually promoted to
the rank of Deputy Chief.
Russ became a K-9 handler before a bought dog ever existed and
when all dogs were donated from
Russ Hess and Rommel
private owners, dog shelters, garages and junkyards. The police
dogs of early American policing
were often America’s throw away
dogs. Russ worked three dogs
while a K9 handler. The first was
Rommel, who was a 10 year old
“tough” German Shepherd Dog inherited by Russ as its 3rd handler,
truly one of the original go find and
bite dogs. It was said that Russ
spent his first three days of training
with the dog learning how to get
in the cruiser with the dog without
getting bitten by Rommel. Russ
would eventually find out that a police canine was far more than just
a biting tool with his second partner, Smokie , a “Seeing eye school
dog dropout”. Smokie barked too
much, and was initially thought to
be tough enough for police work
which was most likely not the case,
but Russ worked hard to get the
dog to improve and reach its realistic capabilities. With the help of another dog trainer in the area Russ
was shown how to develop Smokie
for better apprehension work and
to help make the dog successful.
Russ’s third and last dog was Tiger, a six month old GSD kenneled
in the town garage who apparently
the mechanics constantly teased
and tormented the dog to make it
tougher and mean. Tiger came to
Russ as a withdrawn shut down
police dog candidate, yet another
project dog to work on. One year
later Russ had Tiger finishing consistently in the top 10 at all competitive events. Amazingly these
are the trials and tribulations that
make a handler good, and a trainer
better.
As an active duty police officer,
Russ served as the USPCA Na-
December 2015
Russ Hess and Smokie
Russ and Joan
…after 28 years of policing in Middleton he accepted a Chief ’s job in
the neighboring town of Jackson Township, six miles away.
tional President, and after 28
years of policing in Middleton
he accepted a Chief’s job in
the neighboring town of Jackson Township, six miles away.
Two years later in 1999 the
USPCA started the Executive
Directors position to which
Russ was offered and accepted this position. After serving
30 years total as a police officer, Russ retired from policing
and committed the next 17
years as the Associations Executive Director.
Russ lived through and
worked in K-9 during the Civil
Rights era working hard to improve
the image of the police K9 after
what clearly depicted police dogs
as harmful and purposeful uses
of force against people exerting
their rights to be equal as American citizens. He worked to promote trained police dogs based
upon universal testing standards
to included aggression control and
search ability and not just focusing
Richard Meredith Cooke
Handyman
1340 Morgans Hill Road
Arvonia, VA 23004
Russ Hess and Tiger
police dogs as biting tools. He also
helped to increase the utilization,
training and testing of drug detection dogs; cadaver, explosive,
arson s and game detection. Russ
worked during the major K9 cases of that era, one example is the
USPCA’s Top Dog K-9 Casey from
Nashville TN, who at the time was
handled by Officer Barnes--That’s
right Robinette v. Barnes which is
still one of the pinnacle K-9 use of
force cases. He helped the USPCA’s case, Kerr vs. West Palm
Beach which is still one of the cited
training cases for K-9. He helped
get us all through the FLSA cases
concerning handler compensation
and at home care and maintenance of the dogs. He was there
for the first USPCA woman K9
handler, Janet Cook who joined in
1978 and soon became two times
National Champion.
Russ witnessed and tested new
equipment changes such as heat
sensors and remote pop-out and
bailouts from aluminum kennels
to promote officer and police dog
safety. The days were numbered
for plywood cut to fit where
back seats were removed
covered by dumpster carpet
remnants stuffed into hand
me down patrol cars with roll
down windows
Russ has seen K-9 Units
grow with SWAT deployments,
EOD and the increased value
of public relation’s demos and
community-police
relations
by introducing police dogs as
not something to be feared by
law abiding citizens but to be
a part of the community and
a respected tool of police departments to fight and deter
crime. He has watched as police
canine monuments have been
erected to honor a part of policing
he loves, and takes joy that our
certifications are still largely public
and transparent.
Russ has led the USPCA in fraternity, camaraderie, and support
for each other. Russ brought the
organization and with it our police
dogs and handlers to a professional level and one of respect by not
only by the public, but by other
police officers and other organizations. More people today know
the name of their local K-9 handler
than the officer on their beat. Police
dogs draw positive attention from
December 2015
communities today than ever before.
Over the years, and in present
times, police officers in general
and at times, use of canine force
has come into question at various
court levels. But each time a USPCA Trained and Certified dog was
called to task, Russ was there with
records and evaluations each time.
Under his watch the USPCA had
the history and reputation of reliability and validity.
To sum up who Russ is would
be difficult, however if commitment
tells us anything about a man, his
commitment to this Association
have been mirrored by the commitment he has to his wife Joanie.
Much has been said and written
by members of this Association
about Mr. Hess, in many respects
we can add Joanie to his list of accomplishments. How many times
has Joanie accompanied Russ to
the thousands of events he has
attended? How many friends has
she made? How many times have
we all acknowledged her presence
and our respect for her? How many
times has she most likely saved
Russ from a late night out with the
boys? We all know that the support
of a spouse is imperative when the
extracurricular choices made take
one away from home, family, and
personal responsibilities. Without
the type of support Russ has been
gifted with by Joanie, would we
even be talking about Russ now?
He is a devoted husband, 48 years
and counting. He has included
Joanie in this Association which
speaks to who they are to this
Association. Their wedding vows
most likely read back in that town
with more bars than churches, “in
sickness and in health”. Russ will
spend more time with Joanie now,
and she with him. From all of the
Association, we wish them both
health and happiness.
Russ Hess is National Judge
#105 and from the time the USPCA began keeping computerized
records Russ has judged or chief
judged over 8,900 teams in over
230 trials at all levels and in every
region of the Association. He was
Chief Judge to five National Trials
to include the most recent PD1
National Trial in Springfield, IL. He
has lovingly managed the USPCA
from his heart for the past 17 years
as the Director; we are grateful and
better because of Executive Director (ret) Russ Hess.
As we all bid a found so long to
our National Director, it is with great
gratitude that we welcome our
new USPCA National Historian…
Russ Hess.
December 2015
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December 2015
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ors
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I can’t tell you enough how much information I learned at your
conference! In twelve years of being a cop and ten years in being
in K-9, this has been by far the best training I have received at any
conference. Keep up the good work!
HITS Attendee, Unit Trainer
It was great as usual. The quality of your
seminar is matched by no one!
HITS Vendor
Sponsored By:
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December 2015
USPCA Advanced Explosive K9 Techniques & Evaluation Course
The USPCA Advanced
Explosive K9 Techniques
& Evaluation Course was
held in Region 6 from
October 19-21, 2016.
Region 6 would like to
thank the National organization for allowing
us to hold this training.
We would also like to
thank our USPCA instructors Daniel Page &
Charles (Chuck) Roten-
berry for their expertise.
Special thanks to those
who provided assistance
and training areas for the
event:
Insurance Auto Auctions
(IAA) of Conshohoken, their employees and
branch manager Ralph
Rippo.
Superintendent Maureen
Rush and Captain
Gerald Leddy of
the University of
Pennsylvania Police Department
Dr. Cindy Otto
and the Penn
Vet
Working
Dog Center.
University of Pennsylvania Hollenback Annex,
December 2015
SEARCHDOG
“You never really know a man until you understand things from his point of view, until you
climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
Feature Film to be Released in 2016
“Saddle up Mary! We’ve got a missing
person search right now. I’m on my way
there now with the dogs,” Matt announces
over the phone. This was not an unusual call
from Sgt. Matthew Zarrella. I was on-call
24/7 for more than four years accompanying Matt and his K9 teams on his searches
for missing persons. I am a filmmaker and
professor at the University of Rhode Island.
During my time following Matt, I watched,
followed, filmed and discovered how he,
his dogs and the other officers he trains,
find missing and deceased people. It is an
important aspect of police work, and the
experience of documenting this story has
affected me deeply.
Following Matt on K9 searches for missing
persons has led me to see across an invisible borderline, a threshold of knowledge
about the outcomes of human evil, violence
and death that few civilians ever see. Most
of us are protected from witnessing the results of these brutal acts. It’s the officers,
firefighters, EMS who are left to clean up
and investigate the wreckage put it all back
together.
I learned that searches are often speculative—dog teams are
called in when all other resources have
failed. Leads are sometimes incomplete
or bogus. This is the first of multiple reasons why cadaver search is arguably the
most difficult of K9 scent disciplines. A
decomposing body is in a constant state
of change, and the condition of the environment impacts the rate and nature of decomposition. So when dog teams set out,
they may not know exactly what they are
looking for. Has the body been secreted,
buried, burned, frozen, hidden wrapped in
plastic, placed in a garbage dump with decomposing food, in a cistern or completely
burned, or wrapped in plastic and thrown in
a pond? Searchers don’t know if the body is
complete, disarticulated or openly exposed
to the elements. All these factors influence
the odor that the dogs pick up. K9 teams
train for every scenario imaginable. Training is as important to these teams as the
searches themselves. The variables of life
and death are infinite. But as you will see
in SEARCHDOG, dogs can help locate bodies
under a hundreds of feet of water, and can
help divers narrow an ocean search from
a hundred square miles to
hundreds of
Lee, Harper.
To Kill a Mockingbird.
J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1960
square feet.
My adrenaline is jacked after receiving
Matt’s call and I’m racing to follow Matt
and his dogs to the search site – a complex
search with a pond, a bridge that overlooks
a jetty that feeds a tidal river flowing directly into the sea. I film Matt and his K9
Max as they search a rocky beach. They
pause often, looking towards the sea and
then back towards each other in a kind of
dance. Matt studies Max for signals. He follows the dog step by step. Max suddenly
lurches back up the shoreline to a spot
that pulls him forward then he pushes all
his weight into the ocean, stops, licks the
water. Matt continues to watch as Max sniffs
the wind, tastes the water again. Max lock
eyes with Matt and barks – not his trained
indication, but something he does when
scent is overwhelming. Matt spontaneously
explains to my camera: “He goes back in
around here, see? Nose up, tail strait out, he
looks out, looks back at me – strong. This is
the behavior we see when they’re in scent.”
Minutes later, a 28-year-old man is found.
Drowned, just 100 feet from where the dog
indicated the body was located.
Featured in SEARCHDOG, Matt and his
rescued shelter dog Maximus were one of
the nation’s most respected Search and
Rescue/Search and Recovery teams. In the
documentary, we follow Matt’s life-long
dedication to saving dogs and finding missing persons. We meet his student teams—
humans and their dog-partners—as he
helps them to master an elusive interspecies partnership. It is a partnership where a
magical mix of scent theory, instinct, heart
and animal bond help to resolve whether
the missing will be found.
Alongside Matt, SEARCHDOG features
police officers, firefighters, EMS and volunteers in action. Gaining access to this rarely
seen world involved seeking and obtaining
permission through the Rhode Island State
Police, Maine State Police and Maine Warden
Service chain of command, along with dozens of municipal agencies over the years
from Rochester, NY to Boston, MA who
agreed to have us film with the teams on
real-time searches. I was given complete
permission to observe and film Matt and
his teams as they trained. This involved attending hundreds of hours of K9 trainings in
multiple scent disciplines, including: K9 Water-search, Trailing, Tracking, Disaster Live,
Disaster Cadaver, Crime Scene searches and
explosives detection and patrol.
During the course of my filming I witnessed an unmistakable hopefulness and
love that these officers practiced and
demonstrated with their dogs, each other
and the victims for whom they searched.
Somehow, in the face of all of the despair,
these officers demonstrate something I
learned so much from: practicing a mindset
of positivity, with a full recognition of their
own and their dogs limitations and fallibility; discipline and consistency, and most of
all, as one handler put it: Patience, patience
and more patience.
I had to navigate in unfamiliar command
structures and ranks, and quickly learn how
to stay out of the way and become invisible
during the stress and pressure of missing
persons searches. The searches varied:
some were searches in semi-urban areas – a
missing child, presumed alive; or searches
for drowned victims, murder victims, or
people who wandered off and remain lost
to this day.
Sgt. Matt Zarrella started the K9 Search
and Rescue Program for the Rhode Island
State Police back in 1990, and his story is
endlessly fascinating. As a dyslexic child
unable to excel in school, Matt developed
confidence and acceptance through his relationships with dogs. As a teenager, Matt
cared for shelter dogs knowing they were
going to be put down. As an adult, Matt
used his compassion and sense of duty to
help those in need, to succeed as a police
officer and ultimately as an internationally
renowned K9 Search and Rescue Specialist.
The path that took Matt to where he is
today started when he was a rookie trooper. He became convinced that a little girl
who had been buried alive could have been
saved if Rhode Island had a K9 Search and
Rescue team. Fueled by a passion for justice, Matt devoted a year of his life and
his own money to train his own pet Swiss
Mountain dog to locate missing persons. At
the time he had been told by his superiors
that such a team was “never gonna happen.” In SEARCHDOG, Matthew’s personal
archive places us in 1990 and we watch him
work with legendary Connecticut trooper
& Cadaver dog handler Andy Rebmann &
Matthew’s first dog, Hannibal. Rebmann
is prickly. Hannibal is goofy. It does not
seem like a recipe for success.
Matthew’s dyslexia and Hannibal’s laid-back nature
make it difficult
for Rebmann to
teach the pair –
but Rebmann
clearly believes in
Matthew. Film footage is intimate, and Matthew’s limitations, frustrations, and his perseverance are on display. Hannibal and Matt
become an official K9 search team, certified
to locate missing persons – alive and dead.
Following his certification, Matt and his
dogs were called to dozens of missing persons searches throughout Rhode Island and
New England. With repeated successes, the
K9 program grows, gaining an international reputation. In 2002 Matt was requested
by the U.S. Military to search for remains
of U.S. Soldiers missing in Vietnam, 19661972. He has six months to train puppy Max
for the mission. The task was immense, and
battling heat in excess of 100 degrees, Matt
anguishes to camera at the difficulty of the
terrain and heat. Just when hope seemed
lost, a kneecap, and bone fragments were
found where Matt’s dogs alerted. Matt and
Max’s help located the remains of Capt. Phillips’ who was shot down in 1966 .
As a filmmaker immersed in this
world, I recall at first feeling like
an outsider walking into a
foreign country. The
December 2015
country is right next door, but it is a world
apart from civilian life. It is a violent land
where the officers are confronted with unspeakable horror, accident, suicide or murder – it is routine for them to walk alongside
suffering and loss. I discovered that these
K9 teams never know the heartache they
will encounter in this environment – but
they train for that. Unbeknownst to me at
the time, my documentation of countless of
hours of training was preparing me for my
first searches. I documented K9 teams as
they set out to look for bodies with their
dogs and their determined hearts to try to
set things right for those missing.
To me, the most haunting questions I
ever got from Matt open the film: “What if I
missed that person?, They’re still out there,
are they still alive? Are they down, are they
injured?, Are they moving around or waiting to be found, there’s all sorts of scenarios that go through your mind.” I came
to understand that this work is the work
of strong-minded individuals who respond
to failure with humility and to success with
modesty.
Early in the filmmaking process Matt
showed me his hundreds of case files and
photos. I could not get the images out of
my mind. Every where I drove I saw the
landscape where someone was killed or
killed themselves. It became clear that if
I was going to do this work as a filmmaker,
I needed tools for my brain to cope with
what I was going to see and experience.
I sought out counseling and by luck or by
fate, it’s the same counselor that many of
these K9 teams see. For me, counseling was
not optional, as my brain grinds on things
and keeps a strong visual record that is
hard for me to set aside. I learned incredibly
valuable tools that enabled me to cope with
seeing the aftermath of a suffering death.
My counselor is the single reason I could
keep pace with Matt and his dogs while
keeping my wits about me. I can see how
easy it is to become alienated from family if
you do this work. Those family connections
and the dogs are the food of life that keep
you growing, strong and resilient.
As a filmmaker, I’m an emotional person.
However, I had to learn—as officers learn,
how to compartmentalize emotions. Yet
as a filmmaker, I still needed to feel things
deeply—storytelling is about the emotions
– how does a scene make you FEEL? I have
the unique task to be the interpreter for the
audience. My “new” eyes to this world were
really important to maintain throughout the
process of filmmaking. It was exciting to go
on these searches. It was like nothing else
I’ve experienced in this life. I got to race
behind police cars that had lights and sirens
going—tried to keep up in my old Subaru.
I had the privilege of watching these loving people with their dogs learn this very
difficult discipline, and then go on to find
bodies and help bring people home to their
families.
K9 work is a way of life—a total commitment, and nearly everything else for these
troopers takes a back seat. It requires complete family support for the trooper and
their dogs. Each of the officers have strong
family bonds that support his/her difficult
work in responding to missing persons
searches. The love for these dogs at home
is immeasurable. The spouses and children
who support these officers are unsung heroes. I could make a separate documentary
about missed birthdays, holidays or just the
missed moments that are sacrificed for the
sake of others.
These officers have found their purpose
in life. But it is also a discipline that is largely unrecognized and often not necessarily
respected. K9 Search, Rescue & Recovery
officers have to work with probability scenarios to try to get the dogs to search in
the right places. There are missing persons
out there who most of us have forgotten
about, but these officers continue to have
a commitment to search for them with their
dogs, they use training days for searches
or search in their spare time. Many officers
I met had unsolved cases/missing persons
that that they devoted their lives to but
that they do not publicly discuss. The notion that my work could capture this largely
unrecognized segment of law enforcement
is really important to me, and has helped
me push forward with this film project in a
highly competitive market.
The joy of witnessing and capturing
these K9 officers’ and their dogs’ accomplishments is simply indescribable to me.
This is the single biggest triumph I feel for
SEARCHDOG: that these K9 teams and their
years of effort often go unrecognized. Now,
perhaps dog teams across the country will
be better understood by the agencies and
public that they serve – perhaps they may
get more support, more training, more recognition. I am proud of their grit and passion and hope to do their stories justice as
I bring this film, SEARCHDOG to the world.
For more information about the film
SEARCHDOG, see: www.searchdogmovie.
com
December 2015
Region 16
ing breaths of the door seam and door handle.
Dōgi raised his paw to the door panel and began
scratching just below the door handle leaving
several scratch marks. I recognized the change
in his body mannerism and behavior to be consistent with the way Dōgi reacts when alerting to
a confirmed narcotic odor source.
Due to my previous training, knowledge, and
experience conducting narcotic odor sniffs of vehicles, structures, and other areas, I was able to
determine that Dōgi was alerting to the presence
of a narcotic odor inside the vehicle. I informed
Trooper Howell on the positive alert of this sniff.
Trooper Howell conducted a subsequent search
of the vehicle. As a result of the search, Trooper
Howell located a cardboard box containing numerous bundles of tightly wrapped United States
Currency. The total amount of currency contained in the box was $37,450.00.
Several agents with the Drug Enforcement
Agency (DEA) and Central Illinois Enforcement
Group (CIEG) arrived on scene. At the conclusion,
DEA and CIEG took over the investigation. The
money was seized as evidence as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation.
Once DEA and CIEG concluded their investigation on the road side, we responded to the
Springfield DEA office. Upon our arrival, a DEA
agent placed the currency inside a brown cardboard box. This box was one of three that were
identical to each other. Canine Dōgi and I were
unaware of which box the money was placed
inside. I was asked to conduct a sniff of each
box to determine if narcotic odor was on the concealed currency. Dōgi conducted a sniff of each
box and alerted to the presence of narcotic odor
by scratching on the box containing the currency.
At approximately 8:45pm, DEA, CIEG, Springfield Police Narcotics, and I conducted a search
warrant of 1013 Livingston, Springfield IL. It
should be known, this is the home residence
of Rawls. This warrant was conducted due to
Rawls’ trafficking illegal narcotics and using her
residence as a stash house. During this search,
we located approximately 59.53 grams of powder cocaine, 32.69 grams of cannabis, and
$4,475.00 of United States currency. The currency was “dope rolled” and hidden in articles
of clothing in multiple closets throughout the
house. The currency and suspected narcotics
were seized as evidence.
At the conclusion of the warrant, we responded
to the DEA office where a second canine sniff
was conducted of the recovered currency from
the residence. Upon our arrival, a DEA agent
MISSOURI • ILLINOIS
placed the currency inside a brown cardboard
box. This box was one of three that were identical
to each other. Canine Dōgi and I were unaware of
which box the money was placed inside. I was
asked to conduct a sniff of each box to determine
if narcotic odor was on the concealed currency.
Dōgi alerted to the presence of narcotic odor by
scratching on the box containing the currency.
Region 16 – Patrol Case
K9 CPL Andy Warner & K9 Narco
Effingham Police Dept, Illinois
On July 1st 2015, K9 Narco and I assisted fellow Officers with a vehicle pursuit.
The suspect operating the vehicle had two
warrants. One warrant was for Felon Possess/Use Weapon-Firearm, and the other
was a Pennsylvania DOC Parole Violation
for Aggravated Assault-Gun with a caution
of violent tendencies and drug abuse. The
suspect also had a caution file of gang
crime activity with a handgun history, and
was known to be a member of the Outlaws Motorcycle Gang. The suspect had
recently fled on foot from an apartment
complex when officers attempted to take
him into custody. After this incident, it
was reported that the suspect was talking
about staying armed with a firearm and
getting in a “shoot-out” with Police if they
attempted to take him into custody again.
The pursuit traveled throughout business
and residential areas of our city, disregarding numerous traffic control devices. I was
the third squad car in the pursuit as we entered a cemetery. This area was more wooded and I believed the suspect was looking
for a place to flee on foot or possibly set up
an ambush based on his previous statements. I advised other Officers that the K9
was in the pursuit. The suspect continued
through the cemetery, and then took a field
road that skirted the wooded area along the
cemetery. The condition of the field road was
degraded, and the speed slowed considerably. The suspect vehicle was a minivan, and
as it crossed a mounded culvert crossing a
creek it lost control, and continued up into
the trees. As I came around a bend in the
trail, I observed the squads in front of me
had stopped and there was radio traffic
advising that the suspect had fled from the
vehicle and entered into tree line. I exited
my squad car, and deployed K9 Narco. The
wooded area the suspect fled into was surrounded by open fields and the cemetery so
a perimeter was quickly established. Officers
advised that the suspect was not observed
exiting the wooded area, and it was believed
that he was contained within it. I deployed
K9 Narco, and escorted him to the edge of
the wooded area. As we passed by the suspect vehicle, I observed K9 Narco’s breathing
change, he appeared to be in narcotic odor,
and he jumped into the vehicle. I looked inside the vehicle, and observed that K9 Narco
was giving a positive alert to the presence
of narcotic odor. It was later revealed that
the vehicle contained a small amount of
cannabis, five pills identified as scheduled/
controlled substances, and a hypodermic
needle. It was also later revealed that the
suspect had methamphetamine in his system. I then escorted Narco to the edge of the
wooded area, and gave several loud verbal
K9 warnings. After waiting and receiving no
response, I tasked K9 Narco with locating
and apprehending the suspect. We entered
the wooded area together to locate/apprehend the suspect. The vegetation was thick,
and I was having difficulty untangling foliage
from my duty gear. I also realized that the terrain where K9 Narco was leading me was of
steep elevation, and was difficult to ascend
due to mud and fallen trees. I felt that the
perimeter Officers and I were in immediate
danger of an ambush the longer the suspect’s apprehension was delayed. K9 Narco
was pulling hard at the end of the lead, and
I believed by his behavior that he was aware
of the suspect’s location. I released K9 Narco
and, observed that he quickly ascended the
elevated and slick terrain. I lost sight of K9
Narco in an area of thick brush, and then I
heard loud and steady yelling. I followed
December 2015
this sound up the steep hillside, using both
hands and feet to make progress up the
slope. Near the top, I observed that Narco
had apprehended the suspect on the left
calf. It was later determined that the suspect had neared the top of the slope, and
upon observing the perimeter Officers, he
decided to prone out and hide. K9 Narco
apprehended the suspect immediately upon
locating him. As the suspect struggled, K9
Region 18
Region 18 Detector
James Logan & K9 Britt
Rochester Police Department
Rochester, MN
On 09/10/2015 at approximately 0224 hours
Officer James Logan and his K9 partner Britt
responded to a traffic stop by a Minnesota
State Patrol Trooper in the city of Rochester. The
trooper had requested a K9 sniff of a vehicle
due to the driver appearing to be confused,
sweating and very nervous. The trooper believed the driver was under the influence of a
controlled substance. Officer Logan recognized
the name of the driver as a local narcotics dealer that Rochester PD has come across in the
past. K9 Britt was deployed to do the vehicle
sniff. K9 Britt gave an indication on the driver’s
door seam and the rear passenger door seam.
Narco was able to hold on until I arrived. I
ordered the suspect to stop resisting the
K9, and he complied. The suspect was taken into custody, I placed K9 Narco back on
lead, and the apprehension was released.
EMS and Officers had to place the suspect on a litter and hoist him up the remaining portion of the slope due to the
terrain and location of the apprehension on
his person. The suspect was then treated
for bite wounds, taken to the local hospital
for additional treatment (stiches), and then
transported to the Effingham County Jail.
The suspect was charged with DUI drugs,
felony fleeing and eluding, reckless driving,
and possession of controlled substance,
and obstructing justice along with the
above mentioned warrants.
EASTERN MINNESOTA • WISCONSIN
Inside the vehicle in the back seat were three
backpacks. K9 Britt alerted to the middle back
pack and inside that back pack was a small lock
box. The lock box contained 19 grams of meth,
two digital scales, several schedule 2 pills and
numerous SD cards and jump drives. The driver
was arrested for 2nd Degree controlled substance, 1st degree sales, 4th degree DWI (drugs)
Region 18 Detector
Jeremy Pilcher & K9 Brody
Bloomington Police Department
Bloomington, MN
On Tuesday August 25, 2015 Officer Pilcher
and his K9 partner Brody were sent to assist a
patrol officer on a traffic stop. The officer who
was trained in vehicle interdiction had discovered some inconsistencies with the driver’s
story. Officer Pilcher and Brody conducted
a K9 sniff of the vehicle and Brody alerted to
the vehicles passenger compartment area. After searching the trunk officers located 4lbs of
marijuana. The driver was arrested and officers
were able to determine he was staying at a local
hotel. After doing follow up at the hotel officers
located 3 other vehicles associated to the arrested party in the hotel’s parking ramp. During
surveillance of the vehicles officers spoke with
related parties that came out to the vehicles.
Officer Pilcher and Brody were again called to
do a K9 sniff of the associated vehicles. Brody alerted to all 3 vehicles. Officers searched
the first vehicle and located a large amount of
marijuana inside the trunk of the vehicle. After
warrants were obtained for the remaining 2
vehicles and hotel rooms the final total seizure
was 50 pounds of marijuana, 2 handguns,
and $43,000 cash. Without the work of officer
Pilcher and his K9 partner Brody this arrest and
seizure would not have been possible.
Region 19
MICHIGAN • CANADA
Region 19
Vice President Dave Walker in London, Ontario during Iron Dog Challenge hosted by the Hamilton Police
Service – submitted by Ray Kerimian Region 19 Secretary/Treasurer
Region 21
Sgt. Thomas Watson & K9 Jordy
Marshalltown Police Department, IA
Patrol Case
On 8/3/15, I was dispatched to check for a
subject who had an arrest warrant for a domestic assault involving a knife as well as probation
violation and violation of a no contact order. The
subject was reported to be walking near the
down town area. The wanted person was known
to go armed and had held a knife to the throat of
the victim during a recent assault. He also had
IOWA
prior warnings attached to his file including being
known to assault, known to interfere and known
to resist arrest.
I arrived in the area and located the suspect
walking. I approached the suspect and rolled
down my squad car windows. I pulled up near
the suspect and he looked directly at the marked
patrol car as my K-9 Partner, Jordy, was barking. The suspect immediately turned and ran. I
made the decision to deploy K-9 Jordy based on
the following: 1) Seriousness of the crimes. 2)
The suspect was actively resisting Law Enforcement by running away from a fully marked and
fully uniformed police Officer and 3) The suspect
posed an immediate threat to the victim, society
and police officers when he fled and disobeyed
my commands to stop.
I exited my patrol vehicle and gave foot chase to
the suspect and deployed K9 Jordy by use of my
remote door popper. K-9 Jordy passed me and
caught up with the suspect, apprehending him
by the leg and dropping him to the ground. The
suspect gave up immediately and K-9 Jordy was
removed within seconds of the apprehension.
The suspect was taken into custody safely and
transported to a medical facility for treatment. He
was charged with an additional count of interference with official acts and said later that he
heard the dog and heard my warnings but decided to run anyway.
On 03/24/15 at approximately 1058 hrs. I was
contacted by Dallas County dispatch by phone call.
Dispatch advised that the Iowa DOT MVE needed
a K-9 at the Dallas County scales for a vehicle sniff.
moved any contents from the tractor trailer.
They requested that I do an exterior K-9 sniff
of the tractor/trailer. I deployed K-9 “Kaia” and
she indicated on the cab of the tractor.
Deputy Brent Behnken & K9 Kaia
Dallas County, IA Sheriff’s Office
Detector Case
Upon my arrival I spoke with DOT Officers.
They suspected that tractor/trailer that they
were investigating held marijuana. They had
not conducted any searches nor had they re-
DOT Officers conducted a search of the tractor/trailer and recovered 737 lbs. of marijuana
from the cab of the tractor trailer.
Region 24
ILLINOIS
Region 24
Cook County, IL
Next time your wandering the 70,000 acres
of Cook County’s Forest Preserves take notice
of the dual purpose trained Dutch Shepherds
and their handlers keeping these areas safe.
From left to right:K9 Officer Joe Gotch & K9
Dakota,K9 Training Director Sgt. Willie (Sarge)
McLauglin,K9 Officer Greg Serratore & K9
Drago,K9 Officer Darrin Jackson & K9 Rocco,K9 Officer Malcolm Tallungan & K9 Jafo
Patrol
Officer Reggie Larson & K9 Rex
Blaine Police Department, MN
On 09/27/2015 at approximately 2031
hours, I, Officer Larson, was working on patrol
in the City of Blaine, County of Anoka, Minnesota. I was working with my USPCA Tracking
Certified Canine Partner Rex. At that time, I
heard on the radio the County in a pursuit with
a vehicle. A short time into the pursuit, they
advised that the vehicle had blacked out and
then crashed and both of the occupants had
fled on foot. The County then requested canine
assistance at that location. I then proceeded
to that location and met with deputies there.
While meeting with deputies, I was advised
the driver of the vehicle was wanted for felony
flee in a vehicle as well as possession of stolen
property as the vehicle was stolen.
I gave a canine warning over the PA of my
squad car and then waited for a response
hearing none. I then gave another canine
warning over the PA of my squad and waited
for a response and again heard no response.
During that time, I then retrieved Rex’s tracking
harness from the trunk as well as his tracking
lead. I placed the tracking harness on Rex and
then gave a third canine warning over the PA
of my vehicle and got no response.
I then removed Rex from the back of my patrol vehicle and hooked up his tracking lead and
proceeded to the scene of the crash to meet
with my cover officers and the deputy. I was unknown what direction the occupants had fled.
When we got to the crash, I immediately began casting Rex in the area. I casted him to the
west about one half a block on the north side
of Lake George Drive and then I casted him on
the south side of the road going west. Directly
across from where the crash was on the south
side of Lake George Road, Rex began pulling
hard indicating to me that he had located a
track and I began to follow him.
Rex tracked across the grass and then into
some thick woods that eventually transitioned
to a marsh or swamp. This swamp was full
of peat and reed vegetation. Once we entered
the swamp, the reeds were approximately
3’ to 4’ over my head. As we made our way
deeper into the swamp, the water was up to
my knees. I stopped Rex to see if the suspect
had just had gone north to the trail once he hit
water. We went up to the trail and got nothing.
Rex immediately pulled back into the swamp
to the original path that he was pulling on and
began pulling us farther east.
When I got approximately 6’ away from him I
pushed the reads out of my wat and shined my
light on him. I noticed he was on something in
the water but I could not tell what it was even
though I had my flashlight on it. Eventually I
was able to make out the suspect’s right arm
and realized that Rex had apprehended the
suspect.
I then advised my cover officers that Rex had
apprehended the suspect as the suspect began to scream that the dog was on him. Rex
was removed from the apprehension so that
back up deputies could take him into custody.
The suspect was so buried in the swamp that
he had to dig his lower half out of the swamp.
He was concealed in a manner that you could
not see any of his body and it appeared he
just had his face sticking out of the water. His
entire body was submerged in the mud and
water. Even his entire face was covered with
chunks of dead vegetation from the swamp.
The deputies were eventually able to dig the
suspect from the swamp and who was later
positively identified.
Eventually the water and the mud/peat were
up to my waist and we were dredging through
the swamp with Rex pulling. I could not see
Rex because of the tall vegetation. He was
approximately 10’ in front of me on his lead
and continued to pull east until eventually he
stopped pulling. I could not see Rex at that
time so I began finding my way up the lead.
December 2015
USPCA NATIONAL FIELD TRIALS SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS
September 19th–25th, 2015
Chief Judge Russ Hess
Chief Scorekeeper Kim David
PRESIDENT’S AWARD
Host Department Plaque – Sponsored by Purina
The President’s Award is presented to the host department recognizing the support given to their officers in hosting a national event.
This year’s recipient of the President’s Award is: The
Springfield, IL, K-9 Unit
BILL ROBINSON MEMORIAL
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Sponsored by; AceK9
This award is given to the K-9 team that displays the
highest degree of sportsmanship
in action or attitude towards their dogs, other competitors and the judges throughout the week-long series of events.
The Bill Robinson Memorial Award is given in memory of Bill Robinson of Newburg, New York. Bill was
killed in the line of duty during a domestic disturbance call, just after the USPCA Nationals were held
in Newburg New York.
This year’s Bill Robinson Memorial Award, is awarded to: Ron Howard and K9 Jax - Springfield Police
Department
TED HIRSCH MEMORIAL AWARD
Host Chair of Trials - Sponsored by Purina
The Ted Hirsch Memorial Award is presented in
recognition of all of the many countless hours and
preparation time devoted in order to conduct a national event. It is awarded
in memory of Ted Hirsch who was the Chairman of
the first Police Service Dog Trials in
1968 in Miami, Florida. Ted Hirsch was also the President of the Police K-9 Association, having changed its
name from the Florida K-9 Association the year before. In 1971, the Police K-9 Association evolved into
The United States Police Canine Association, Inc.
The winner of this year’s Ted Hirsch Memorial Award
is: Ron Howard - Springfield, IL, K-9 Unit.
December 2015
SPRINGFIELD AWARDS - STEVE TERMINE
Special Award presented to Steve Termine for all his
support work in making these trials a success. Ron
Howard presenting:
PATROL CASE OF THE YEAR: 2014
Our awards program is sponsored by Criminalistics,
Inc. This program recognizes outstanding work done
by K-9 teams in the everyday encounter with the real
world. This award is presented to the team that has
been selected as having performed exceptionally under difficult circumstances and with exceptional ability
in law enforcement utilizing a police service dog. The
award is selected by the USPCA National Vice-presidents for the best patrol case and the best detector case
for each quarter. The winners of the quarterly awards
then compete for the Case of the Year Award.
The winner of the 2014 patrol case of the year is:
Keith MacKenzie & K9 Daisy Mae.
On June 3, 2014, Dep. MacKenzie was contacted by the Strafford
Country Sheriff ’s Office and asked
to call Trooper Grass of the Maine
State Police in reference to a homicide
Dep. MacKenzie called
Trooper Grass and was told
there had been a homicide in
St. Francis, ME, and asked
if he was available to assist
with possibly locating the
suspect. Dep. MacKenzie
told the trooper he was
available and was told a
USPCA President Jason Brodt presenting
male subject had shot and killed his girlfriend four
days earlier and then ran into the woods behind the
residence with a rifle. Trooper Grass told Dep.
MacKenzie when the first officer arrived on scene
that he heard a single gunshot coming from the
woods behind the residence.
Dep. MacKenzie was told there had been many officers and other K-9 teams in the woods searching
and conducting grid searches for the suspects since
the shooting. Trooper Grass asked Dep. MacKenzie
if his Bloodhound would be able to conduct a track
from the scene through all the contamination. Dep.
MacKenzie told the trooper that if he could get a
scent article that belonged to the suspect he would be
willing to attempt the track. Trooper Grass told Dep.
MacKenzie someone would call him later that day.
Later that day, Dep. MacKenzie was contacted by
Trooper Crane, who was at the crime scene, and asked
what would be needed for a scent article. Dep. MacKenzie stated he would need an item that they were certain was the suspect’s. Trooper Crane stated he had a
hat and was instructed to place it in a clear plastic Ziploc bag which was done. Trooper Crane advised Dep.
MacKenzie he would be contacted again once a formal
request was made for his assistance by the Maine State
Police to the Strafford County Sheriff ’s Office.
One June 5, 2014, Dep. MacKenzie drove the 6+
hours to St. Francis and met Trooper Crane and went
over the case. Some believed that the suspect may have
committed suicide because of that gun shot heard after the officers arrived. It was agreed Dep. MacKenzie
and K-9 Daisy Mae would start their track the next
morning, accompanied by two Maine State Police
SWAT officers.
One June 6, 2014, six
days after the homicide,
Dep. MacKenzie was
brought to the scene. He
had been briefed where
officers had searched
and advised the layout of
the land. Dep. MacKenzie was handed the scent
article, and he placed it
on the ground behind the
residence. Dep. MacKenzie
then took K-9 Daisy Mae
from his cruiser and walked
her around to acclimate her
of the field. K-9 Daisy excitement had increased greatto the area. K-9 Daisy was then placed in harness and
presented the scent article and given the track com- ly at this point. K-9 Daisy continued tracking up the
mountain and through the woods. K-9 Daisy tracked
mand.
through a wet land area to a small stream where they
K-9 Daisy tracked through the yard and onto a path
that led up the side of the mountain. K-9 Daisy tracked stopped for a drink. K-9
Daisy continued her track up a long inonto a state trail and then cut across a
cline and through some thick woods and
small field heading north. K-9
out to a stream. K-9 Daisy tracked
Daisy tracked back out onto the trail
K-9 Daisy continued came
out of the stream and continued west up
and continued to track back and forth on
her baying. The the mountain and across two logging
it still heading north up the mountain. K-9
Daisy then left the trail and entered into subject dropped roads. K-9 Daisy was pulling hard in her
harness through the woods and brush.
a small clearing. K-9 Daisy then tracked
the
rifle
and
yelled
Approximately three miles into the
through a small patch of thick woods before heading back onto the trail. K-9 Dai- for Dep. MacKenzie track, K-9 Daisy tracked through thick
sy continued to track until she came out
to hold the dog tree cover and brush. As Dep. MacKenzie
was going through the thick brush, he felt
into a small park with picnic tables. K-9
and
not
send
her
the lead pull hard as K-9 Daisy was digDaisy tracked around the tables heading
on
him.
ging in and pulling him up the mountain.
north again up the trail. K-9
As Dep. MacKenzie was pulled through
Daisy came to an intersection where
the brush, he observed K-9 Daisy baying
she had to work out the odor and settled
and
looking
up to her left. Dep. MacKenzie looked
in on an ATV trail that headed up the mountain. K-9
up to where K-9 Daisy’s attention was and observed
Daisy turned left into the woods and then tracked out
onto a logging road. K-9 Daisy continued the track be- a male in a red shirt holding a rifle, pointing it down
fore entering a large field. As K-9 Daisy worked across at them. Dep. MacKenzie took cover and yelled at the
subject to drop the rifle while K-9 Daisy continued her
the field, she became more excited as she came to the
baying. The subject dropped the rifle and yelled for
southeast corner of the field. The team was approxiDep. MacKenzie to hold the dog and not send her on
mately a mile into the track, and Dep. MacKenzie
him. The troopers were able to take the subject into
knew at this time they were tracking fresh scent, and
custody without incident. The subject identified himhe advised his back-up officers.
self as the person the police were looking for in the
K-9 Daisy tracked out of the field and headed west
homicide. Because of the mountain terrain, one of the
into the woods. K-9 Daisy was pulling hard in her hartroopers had to climb higher up the mountain to make
ness as she worked up the mountain. When they came
to a clearing, K-9 Daisy turned right and tracked for radio contact notifying that the suspect was in custody.
a short distance before reaching the southwest corner
TOM LARSEN AWARD
Total Scent Work - Total Possible Score - 180.00
Captain Tom Larsen was the first K-9 handler in the State of
Louisiana. Captain Larsen is known as the father of K-9 in Louisiana and served with the Baton Rouge Police Department. The
captain believed in the success of a police service dog depended
on their scenting ability. The Captain Tom Larsen Award goes to
the top combined scores of Article Search and Suspect Search.
This year’s Captain Tom Larsen Award goes to: Brady Harrison
and K-9 Vito - St. Paul.
Lester David and USPCA President Jason Brodt presenting
Police Department - total search score 179.8
December 2015
PATRICK CAHILL AWARD
Combined Obedience & Apprehension – Sponsored by
RayAllen Manufacturing
This award is in honor of Mr. Patrick Cahill. Mr. Cahill, originally from England, started his career with
Scotland Yard and was a major force in establishing
canine units in the United States, first with Baltimore
Police Department, and then the Metropolitan Police in Washington D.C. Mr. Patrick Cahill demanded
handler control of the animals he trained and certified.
Mr. Cahill’s demanding training requirements are responsible for many of the values held today in training
police service dogs. The Cahill award is for the combined top Obedience score, and the top Criminal Apprehension score. Total possible score of 460.
This year’s Patrick Cahill Award winner is: Chad Whitaker K-9 Nox - Lakeland Police Dept. - Total score: 458.17
Laz Cabrera - CEO PSD presenting
TOP DOG Championship Award
Championship Ring – sponsored by PSD and Laz Cabrera
This award is presented to the “K-9 TEAM” that has
shown attention to detail, passion, unmatched dedication, and extreme knowledge in all five (5) phases
of the police certification. In addition, this recipient
has shown the mental strength to put together all of
the above qualities in order to come out on top when
it matters the most, at the national police dog trials.
Finally, this national championship ring is a symbol
of what it takes to be a “Top Dog!”
This year’s Top Dog Championship Award winner is:
Chad Whitaker K-9 Nox - Lakeland Police Dept.
TOP REGION TEAM: John P. “Sonny” Burke Memorial Award - Top Region
Team - Sponsored by
American Aluminum
This Memorial Award is presented each
year to the First Place Region Team. The
top possible team Score is 2800 points,
consisting of four K-9 teams and an alternate. The United States Police Canine Association honors the memory and spirit of
Atlantic City Police Canine Officer John P.
“Sonny” Burke, who was killed in the line
of duty on September 30, 1970.
REGION:18 • Total Points: 2615.66
Mary and Tom Swain from American Aluminum presenting
Josh Stenseth, Chad Loeffler, Jay Curiel, James Kenison
TOP DEPARTMENT TEAM:
Tim Jones Memorial Award - Sponsored by Havis, Inc.
This Memorial Award is presented each year to the
First Place Department Team. The top possible score
is 2800 points and consists of four K-9 teams and an
alternate. Officer Tim Jones and Laser were members
of the Saint Paul, MN, Police Department. In one
tragic incident, the Saint Paul, Minnesota, Police Department lost two officers and a canine. Officer Ron
Ryan, Jr., and Officer Tim Jones and his K-9, Laser,
all were murdered on August 26, 1994. The Tim Jones
Memorial Award is an effort to preserve the memory
of not only these brave officers, but also the K-9s who
work the streets to make them safer.
This year’s Top Department Award winner is:t
DEPARTMENT: Saint Paul Police Dept.
Saint Paul, MN Total Points: 2667.83
Jason Brodt
Brady Harrison
Rob Vetsch
Tad Schmidt
Alt: Dave Longbehn
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Chad Whitaker
Chad Landry
Brady Harrison
Josh Stenseth
Jason Cummings
Rob Vetsch
Jason Brodt
Justin Stegall
Doug Bierman
James Broussard
Chris Gerace
Lyle Andre
Zach Elfreich
Dave Longbehn
Jeff Barrett
Chad Loeffler
Jay Curiel
Tommy Thompson
T.j. Morse
Kyle Albritton
Top Department Team - Saint Paul, MN
2nd PLACE DEPARTMENT TEAM:
DEPT: Lakeland PD Total Points: 2639.15
Chad Whitaker Cory Bowling
Jeff Barrett
Tye Thompson
Nox
Badge
Vito
Dex
Flash
Jesse
Gibbs
Jango
Dano
Indo
Arrow
Ranger
Axel
Duke
Echo
Tank
Havoc
Ares
Tag
Mico
Top Twenty Top Dogs
Lakeland Police Department
Lake Wales Police Department
Saint Paul Police Department
Saint Croix County So
New Hanover County Sheriffs Office
New Hanover County Sheriffs Office
Newton Police Department
East Baton Rouge Sheriff ’s Office
Gloucester Township Police Department
Baton Rouge Police Department
Evansville Police Department
Lakeland Police Department
Lakeville Police Department
O’fallon Police Department
Baton Rouge Police Department
Highlands County Sheriff ’s Office
December 2015
696.50
687.34
687.33
684.00
681.01
679.82
673.67
671.50
670.67
670.00
668.48
668.18
667.49
667.33
666.33
664.32
662.67
658.01
656.51
655.17
Trainer’s Corner
Affirmative Leadership Will Eliminate
Stress in You and Your Dog
Stress and disobedience will be
diminished when leadership, (authority) is unquestioned and the dog
accepts obedience as normal behavior. Let me begin this article with
a human analogy. Suppose you have
a toothache but are overtly reluctant
to go to the dentist. You know you
should but you put it off until such
time as the pain overrides your fear
and you finally make up your mind to
go to the dentist. During that period
of time between the onset of the pain
and the decision to go to the dentist
you are in conflict with yourself. That
kind of conflict creates stress and
constantly influences your behavior.
It can be the worst psychological discomfort because it hurts enough that
you think about it all day. But once
you make the decision to go to the
dentist the conflict and stress simply
disappears along with the fear of the
dentist because the fear of the dentist becomes your only way out of
your own self conflict.
I operate a large boarding kennel
and the idea for this article arose from
observing dogs at the kennel. We often board dogs that bark constantly
whether it is for attention, aggression
or simply because they would rather be home on the couch watching
Oprah Winfrey. Regardless of the
reason this constant barking puts
them in a state of high anxiety endangering their health particularly in the
summer when they can overheat so I
put an e-collar on them and as soon
as they understand that barking will
result in a shock they stop barking
and lie down. They are no longer in
conflict as the possibility of barking is
removed.
This “affirmative leadership” if you
can call it that, brought about by the
use of the e-collar resolves conflict in
the dog’s mind. Barking becomes an
unacceptable behavior in the dog’s
own mind as should non-compliance
in your dog. Now I tend not to be a
strong advocate of the use of e-collars as it assigns authority to the collar and not to the handler and if the
collar is removed the authority is can
be lost not that the use of an e-collar
doesn’t have its place, I simply prefer
to be the authority rather than relying
upon the collar. The danger I find with
e-collars is they tend to be over used
and if you over use such a powerful correction you can do more harm
than good. But that’s for another article.
Either way, once a dog, or for that
matter a person, understands that
punishment is not only definite but
consistent and adequate enough to
change behavior, conflict is removed
and further punishment is reduced or
eliminated and positive motivation,
by Don Sterling
(praise) can become a motivator.
I train my dogs to heel at all times
unless they are given specific commands that allow them to do otherwise. There are no exceptions to this
rule. Once taught my dogs are never in conflict with this behavior. “Do I
have to heel or can I get away with
not heeling is no longer a question in
the dog’s mind?” Ambiguity in leadership will always lead to conflict in
behavior. If we look up the word as
it is defined in the dictionary it states,
“a situation in which something can
be understood in more than one way
and it is not clear which meaning is
intended”. If a dog is not clear of the
necessity to follow commands he will
generally take that path that he prefers, which is rarely if ever the path
you wish him to take. I have used
the example of heeling but this theory covers all the actions of the dog
including recall, to search or jump or
not to jump, etc. My dogs are happy to heel because they accept the
behavior as natural since not doing
so will definitively result in correction
and once this behavior is established
it rarely has to be reinforced.
To continue I have found that once
a dog comes to understand and
accept the necessity to perform in
a certain manner he will do so consistently and negative reinforcement
is reduced if not eliminated and then
we can move to positive reinforcement (praise and the absence of correction). Positive reinforcement has
two concepts; one being you will not
be corrected the other, praise. In my
opinion food is not as good a positive reinforcement as praise when we
are speaking in terms of obedience
Trainer’s Corner
miliar with or over an obstacle that is
as obedience is based upon compulbeyond his physical ability as this is
sion administered by the handler and
not affirmative leadership but simply
it must be the handler who tells the
poor judgment. If force is used undog that he is not going to be corwisely it can break the trust or bond
rected if he complies. This arrangebetween the handler and the dog.
ment tends to strengthen the bond
The more authority a leader possess
between the dog and the handler
the more cautiously
where food tends to
it must be used.
come between the
handler and the dog
To alleviate conas the dog is workMy dogs are happy flict leadership, (coring for the food and
rections) must be
to heel because they affirmative enough
not the handler. In
other words in food
remove the possiaccept the behavior as to
reward the handler
bility of non-complisimply becomes a natural since not doing ance from the dog’s
vending
machine
mind. If a judge fines
so will definitively
and is “removed” by
a speeder five dola factor of one from
result in correction lars for doing fifty
the dog’s appreciamph in a twenty five
tion of the handler.
and once this behavior mile zone he has inpunished the
Now it is importis established it rarely deed
offender by most
ant to recognize the
difference between
has to be reinforced. likely not sufficiently
to prevent him from
training and oberepeating the ofdience. Training is
fense. However if he
knowledge. You say
fines him five hundred dollars the ofsit, the dog complies and he is refender is far less likely to commit the
warded with food, (or a toy) and he
same offense again. However, fining
is “trained” but by no means obedithe offender five thousand dollars
ent as can easily be discovered by
would obviously be unjust and cause
releasing a cat nearby. Training is
resentment rather than compliance.
simply not obedience. Where trainAnd the same is true in training our
ing is knowledge, the recognition of
dogs. A “five dollar fine” will rarea word, obedience is a state of mind.
ly change the behavior of our dogs
“If I chase the cat I get corrected, and
whereas a five thousand dollar fine
if the correction is sufficient I will not
would only create fear in the dog, not
chase the cat even though I want to.”
compliance.
Now it is just as important to unBut there is more to consider than
derstand and remember that the
simply the “amount of the fine”. I
more correction we are capable of
have written previously about a learnusing on a dog the more wisely it
ing curve. The better trained the dog
must be used. I never punish a dog
through experience the less a handler
for a mistake, (if I am not sure if the
should accept disobedience, hence
dog has made a mistake or is being
during the training period one must
disobedient I always give the dog the
be conscious of how well trained the
benefit of the doubt until I am sure) or
dog is at that particular time. One
force the dog to do something such
should not expect a dog with a week
as climb a ladder he may not be fa-
or two of basic training to perform
as well as a dog with two or three
months of training and experience.
That’s what training is all about, the
progression of a learned behavior,
which over time should improve and
must be expected to improve.
As I have stated in a previous article, dogs never stop thinking. Once
a dog is taught, at the lowest level
of obedience training, which plays
an important role in the work of all
phases of patrol function, to perform
any act he will quickly realize that if he
is not corrected for non-compliance
that there will always be the possibility of non-compliance. Thus, any
non-compliance that is not corrected
leaves open the possibility for conflict
in the dog’s mind. If you can eliminate
the possibility of non-compliance
from the dog’s mind you will eliminate
conflict and create an acceptance in
the dog’s mind that there is no longer
a possibility of non-compliance…..a
stress free relationship not only for
the dog, but for the handler as well.
Always remember, someone out
there may be trying to kill you and tonight may be the night, so look out
for the bad guys, trust your dog and
remember above all else, routine kills.
December 2015
Trainer’s Corner
Canine Olfaction:
An Overview of the Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics
Kathryn A. Bamford, Ph.D.
K9 Officer, Massasauga Search & Rescue Team
This article may be reproduced for the not- for- profit education of working dog handlers. Any commercial use requires permission from the author.
Canine Olfaction: An
Overview of the Anatomy, Physiology and
Genetics
A dog’s sensory experience of the world is guided
largely by its nose. Unlike
upright humans who have
evolved to depend on high
acuity vision, the macrosmatic dog relies heavily on
a highly developed olfactory
system to detect environmental information relevant
for survival. A dog’s sense of
smell is many orders of magnitude more sensitive than a
human’s. This is largely due
to anatomical, physiological
and genetic differences that
allows dogs to more effectively collect, sample and
cognitively process chemosensory information from
their environment. The dog’s
partnership with humans
evolved in part because man
wanted to take advantage
of the dog’s keen sense of
smell to aid his own needs
for tracking and hunting. The
modern working dog continues to provide odor detection
for human directed tasks at a
level of sensitivity that has yet
to be replicated or surpassed
by man-made instruments.
Anatomy:
Air enters the dog’s nasal
cavities through two external nostrils or “nares.” The
dog has bilateral,
symmetrical nasal
cavities separated
by the nasal septum. Inside the
nasal cavity lie the
turbinate bones
and the paranasal sinuses. The
turbinate bones
(or conchae) are
convoluted folds of bone
covered in a mucous membrane containing the olfactory epithelium. The turbinates
in macrosmatic animals
(animals with higher olfactory acuity compared to low
acuity microsmatic animals,
such as humans) dramatically increase the surface area
of the olfactory epithelium.
The surface area containing
olfactory cells in a human is
roughly 5 cm2 compared to
150-170 cm2 in a dog. Inhaled air is first exposed to
the maxilloturbinates where
it is warmed, moistened and
cleaned by specialized ciliated epithelium and support
cells. The inspired air then
continues to flow into the
more posterior ethmoturbinates and the frontal, maxillary and sphenoid sinuses.
The majority of odor processing is accomplished by
the main olfactory epithelium
(MOE) lining the ethmoturbinates and frontal sinuses; the
mucosa of the maxilloturbinates contains only a small
number of olfactory sensory
neurons. (See Figure 1)
Figure 1. Canine Olfactory
Structure (from Craven et al., 2007)
In addition to the MOE,
the dog has an additional olfactory epithelium, the vomeronasal sensory epithelium
(VNsE), found in the vomeronasal organ (VNO). This
tissue is present bilaterally in
the bottom of the nasal cavity
above the roof of the mouth
just behind the canine teeth.
The VNO is open to the nasal cavity and connected to
the mouth by small channels.
Licking brings chemicals into
the mouth that are perceived
by the specialized receptors
of the VNsE which detect
pheromones important for
species-specific communication, as well as other volatile molecules. Substances
in water licked up by dogs
can be detected through this
system. The information from
these sensory cells are transmitted through a separate
neuronal path to the brain.
Two other olfactory systems,
the septal organ (SO) and
Gruneberg’s ganglion (GG),
have been identified
in some macrosmatic animals (such
as the mouse, marsupials, rabbits ), but
a recent morphological study of dog
olfactory epithelium
by Barrios et al.
(2014) failed to find
these subsystems in
adult, neonate, or fetal dogs.
They posited that these other
systems may not be necessary because the large nasal
cavity of the dog allows for a
greater physical separation
to mediate discrimination of
odors.
Environmental odorants,
the molecules that selectively bind to olfactory receptors
to initiate the perception of
odor, are transported to the
olfactory epithelium via the
unique air flow patterns that
are generated during sniffing.
The highly evolved and complex structures of the external nares and the recessed
olfactory cavities both create
aerodynamic flow that optimizes capture of odorants.
Sniffing behavior is a sinusoidal pattern of inspirations
and expirations through the
nose with a frequency of up
to 20 sniffs per minute or 4-7
Hz. Sniffing rate has been
observed to vary with the difficulty of the task. Although
these rapid bursts of sniffing appear to be the norm
when a dog is hunting odor,
single long sniffs are also
Trainer’s Corner
observed, e.g. in dogs that
are airscenting. The flow of
air through the nostrils takes
separate pathways on inspiration versus expiration mediated by nostril flexure (controlled by the muscles and
ligaments) and the external
design of the nose (Settles
et al., 2003). Expired air exits
the nostril in a ventral-lateral
vortex. This pattern minimizes re-breathing of expired
air and promotes inspiration
of fresh air samples. Secondly, the lateral vortex stirs
up ambient odorants and
particulates that may have
otherwise been inaccessible
and the warm, moist expired
air may promote volatilization
of latent odorants. (Craven et
al., 2007)
Inspiratory air flow during
sniffing is distinctly different than respiratory air flow.
When a dog is breathing or
panting, not sniffing, the majority of inspired air travels
to the lungs via the nasopharynx, with only 12-13%
of the inspired air reaching
areas with olfactory epithelium. During sniffing, however,
high velocity air flow is generated that transports larger
volumes of air to the most
dorsal nasal cavities where
it turns 1800 and flows back
over the ethmoturbinates.
During the expiration phase
of sniffing, no air enters or
exits the olfactory recess,
resulting in prolonged exposure of the inspired air to the
chemoreceptors of the olfactory epithelium. Acquisition of critical olfactory information on inspiration during
sniffing is also optimized by
the aerodynamic patterns
created by the external morphology of the nares. Craven et al. (2007) observed
that the nostril “reach,” the
inspired air that is in the immediate vicinity of each naris, is approximately 1 cm.
This distance is “smaller
than internostril separation,
indicating that each nostril
samples air from spatially
separate regions” (Craven
et al., 2007). This feature of
spatial-temporal sampling,
along with separate bilateral
neuronal pathways to the olfactory lobe, and preserved
spatial topography from epithelium to olfactory cortex,
allows the dog to localize
odor source. These features
are believed to contribute to
a dog’s ability to determine
direction when tracking/ trailing. (See Figure 2)
Figure 2. External Nares & Air
Flow (from Cravens, et al., 2007)
Physiology:
Once the vapor or particulate carrying the odorant
enters the nasal cavities,
the olfactory receptor cells
(ORC) in the nasal epithelium
initiate the transduction process that results in odorants
being perceived as odors by
the brain. These unique neurons are embedded in the
nasal epithelium surrounded by other cells types that
support the olfactory mucosa. The number and density
of these ORC vary between
species. It is estimated that
humans have about 5 million and some dog breeds
have 200-300 million. The
density of olfactory cells in
a dog’s nasal epithelium is
100 times greater than in
humans. It has been suggested that greater numbers
of ORCs may not be responsible for olfactory acuity, but
may contribute to enhanced
odor discrimination. Within
species, the number of ORC
change during developmental. Kavoi et al. (2010) found
that ORC density in dogs
increased 22.5% from birth
to adulthood, whereas this
value decreased by 26%
in sheep. These inter-species differences may reflect
the relative importance of
olfaction in survival. These
findings also suggest that
a postnatal developmental
window exists during which
exposure to certain odorants
may shape the animal’s olfactory sensitivity.
The ORC is a bipolar neuron with a dendrite and axon
that connect directly to the
cell body. The dendrite extends out toward the epithelial surface and terminates
in a rounded olfactory knob
covered with radiating cilia
that are embedded in the fluid of the mucous membrane.
Species differences in the
number of cilia per ORC have
been observed; humans and
sheep may have 6-8 per cell,
while the dog may have 20100 cilia per cell. The olfactory receptors (OR) are located
on the cilia. Odorant molecules must dissolve in the
watery mucous surrounding
the cilia in order to attach to
the receptor proteins. Many
odorants are hydrophobic
molecules and require an
December 2015
interaction with olfactory
binding proteins found in the
nasal mucosa to transport
the odorant to the olfactory
receptors. It is believed that
all the cilia on a single ORC
have the same type of olfactory receptor. Each olfactory
receptor binds to one specific physio-chemical property
(e.g., carbon chain length or
attached functional groups)
of an odorant. An odorant
molecule will have multiple
properties and therefore
bind to and activate several
different ORC. Although the
encoding algorithm is not fully understood, this combination of multiple, different OR
being activated is translated
in the brain as the perception
of both odor quality and intensity.
A very unique property
of the ORC is that they are
constantly regenerating. No
other mammalian sensory
cell has this capacity. Olfactory neurons live 30-60 days
and then are replaced by
new cells. One of the support cells types in the nasal
epithelium, the basal cell,
appears to be the source
of new cells. Replacement
neurons do not automatically
contain the same OR of the
neuron that died. This system demonstrates remarkable plasticity in the fact that
“the type of receptor that is
generated on the new replacement neuron is (partly)
triggered by the odors the
animal most often smells”
(Gerritsen & Haak, 2015).
Several lines of research
have demonstrated that animals develop more receptors for odors on which they
are regularly trained (Wang
et al., 1993; Youngentob &
Kent, 1995). This may ex-
Trainer’s Corner
plain the findings in a study by Walker
et al. (2006). These researchers examined the olfactory acuity, i.e. the lowest concentration of chemical that can
be sensed, in dogs trained to detect
a single target odor (n-amyl acetate or
nAA). They systematically lowered the
concentration of nAA over a period of
several months and used regression
analysis to determine the threshold for
detection. Previous studies (Krestel et
al., 1984) found beagles could detect
nAA at concentrations around 10 parts
per billion (ppb), whereas the dogs
in the Walker et al. (2006) study had
thresholds of detection in the 1-2 parts
per trillion (ppt) range. In the latter study,
the exposure to the target odor over a
period of several months may have increased the number of OR that bind to
nAA, thus increasing the acuity to this
odorant. Another variable that could
have influenced the differences in these
two studies is the different dog breeds
used (Beagles vs. Rottweiler & Schnauzer). It has been demonstrated that
there are genetically determined breed
differences in OR types and affinities
mediated by polymorphism in genes
coding for olfactory receptors (Tacher et
al., 2005).
The axons of all the ORC form the
olfactory nerve bundles that projects
directly into the olfactory bulb that sits
behind the cribriform plate, a structure
of the ethmoid bone that separates the
nasal cavity from the brain cavity. The
ORC axon covers a short, but direct
distance to the brain without any intermediate relays, a feature that is unique
to the olfactory system. This allows for
a very rapid transmission of information which may have evolutionary value if it promotes survival. These axon
terminals make synaptic contact with
clusters of second order neurons in the
olfactory bulb called glomeruli. When an
odorant molecule binds to the receptor
protein, a chemical cascade is triggered
by the release of cAMP. This chain of
events causes the depolarization of the
olfactory neuron resulting in the propagation of an electrical signal along the
axon of the ORC that stimulates the
neurons of the glomeruli. A striking
structural feature of each glomerulus is
that all olfactory neurons that terminate
on it have the same type of olfactory
receptor. This spatial mapping of information is preserved when it is projected
to the cortex, a feature that is relevant
to the higher level encoding of odorant
information. The very precise structural layout of the glomerular layer and
the correlation between the number of
glomeruli and number of odorant characteristics that can be detected suggest glomeruli are the functional units
of olfaction (Goldblatt et al., 2009). The
glomeruli converge with the dendrites
of mitral cells, the largest cells in the olfactory bulb, and tufted cells. The axons
of the mitral and tufted cells form the
lateral olfactory tract that conducts the
olfactory signal to the piriform cortex.
There are also additional projections to
the limbic system of the brain from both
the olfactory bulb and the vomeronasal
organ (VNO). The VNO, with its unique
set of receptor types, projects solely to
the accessory olfactory bulb which only
has connections with the limbic system.
Figure 3. Olfactory System (from web image)
The mitral cells of the olfactory bulb
are interconnected laterally and therefore receive information from numerous
glomeruli. This puts them in a unique
position to “refine” and modify the olfactory signal before it is sent to the cortex.
It has been suggested the processing
that occurs at these cells allows for
enhanced discrimination of odors. Wei
et al. (2008) examined the histological
structure of the olfactory bulb in dogs
across age and sex. They observed that
the olfactory bulb grew in size from juvenile to adult, but the density of the mitral cells decreased. However, the size
of the mitral cells increased, which may
be related to an expansion of dendritic
connections. The most interesting finding was that the quantity of mitral cells
was significantly greater in adult females
than adult males. Studies across species have found that females possess
greater olfactory sensitivity than males.
This anatomical difference may contribute to these sexual variations.
The primary perception of odor appears to occur in the piriform cortex.
The piriform neurons possess a plasticity that may play a role in learning novel
odors. Unlike the encoding that occurs
in the olfactory bulb, which is more analytical and feature-oriented, the neurons
in the piriform cortex do not respond in
an analytical fashion. Also, the neural response of these cells has been shown
to change after initial exposure to mixtures of odorants, followed by exposure to individual components (Wilson,
2003; Wilson and Stevenson, 2003). All
the studies that have observed changes
in cortical cell response following extended experience with a complex odor
are consistent in demonstrating that
“experience with an odor (or odor mixture) in a variety of conditions allows that
odor-specific activity pattern to be synthesized as a unique perceptual whole
through cortical synaptic plasticity” (Wilson & Stevenson, 2003). This theory
appears to hold when the complex odor
is a mix of three or more odorants. A
similar cortical process may also explain
why differences in quantity of an odor
are perceived as qualitative differences.
Trainer’s Corner
Understanding how the brain processes individual odorants versus complex mixtures of odorants is especially
important for detection dogs that are
trained to locate complex odors, such
as explosives or decomposing human
remains. This topic has received particular attention in the training of explosive
detection dogs (EDD). The salient question for training is whether to train on
the naturally occurring mix of odors or a
particular individual odorant that is likely
to be present in the complex mix. Goldblatt et al. (2009) noted that the reports
published for EDD training were consistent for their inconsistency in results. This
may be due to significant differences in
variables such as the experience time/
exposure a dog is given with either the
complex odor and/or the individual odorant before they are asked to detect the
other. Clearly, more research is needed
in this area. Based on current research,
Gerritsen and Haak (2015) suggest dogs
will learn complex odors more quickly if
they have been trained first on individual components of this odor. They also
point out that dogs that are sensitive to
small amounts of an individual odorant
may not recognize it in a complex mix.
Ideally, training protocols should use single and complex odors, as well as small
and larger quantities to optimize olfactory
perceptual learning.
The limbic system of the brain, which
coordinates basic physiological states
(e.g., hunger and thirst), sexual behaviors, emotional states (e.g., fear, aggression), and memory, also processes
olfactory information based on separate
projections from the VNO. The olfactory cells of the VNO possess a unique
subset of receptors found only in the
VNO epithelium that respond primarily
to pheromones. These chemical compounds are associated with primitive
functions such as determination of reproductive status and sexual behaviors.
Other hormonal molecules trigger VNO
receptors that convey species-specific communications such as recognition of pack members and offspring,
states of dominance, or territory. This
information from the VNO to the limbic
system is rapid and unconscious. The
odor information from the VNO with its
separate pathway to the limbic system
is processed rapidly and outside the influence of the higher cortical processing
of odors from the MOE. Odor information and subsequent behaviors from
VNO receptors have the potential to
interfere or override behaviors resulting
from cortical processing. A male dog’s
detection of a female in estrus while
searching for a target odor is a good
example. In a separate nerve bundle,
the limbic system also receives information from the MOE. Therefore, it is possible for the perception of all odorants
to be influenced by emotional components. For example, when perception
of an odor is associated with a positive
reward, this contributes to the motivation of the dog to find the odor. Similarly,
this mechanism is probably at play in
“proofing” dogs off certain odors (e.g.,
rattlesnakes) using aversive conditioning (e.g., electric shock).
Genetics:
The study of olfaction has advanced
at a more rapid pace since the discovery of the genes encoding odorant
receptors and the structural characteristics of these receptors (Buck & Axel,
1991). The sequencing of mammalian
genomes “have made it possible to
infer how smell has evolved to suit the
needs of a given species and how variation within a species may affect individual olfactory perception” (Keller &
Vosshall, 2008). Genetic research has
determined that olfactory receptors
are encoded by the largest gene family in the mammalian genome. A larger
number of different olfactory receptors
translates to an olfactory system that
can recognize and discriminate across
an expansive number of odorant molecules. Comparative genetic studies
have found that macrosmatic animals,
like rodents and dogs, have much larger
olfactory gene repetoires than microsmatic animals. The number of functional olfactory genes in humans has been
estimated to be around 450, compared
to 800+ in the dog and 1500+ in the
rat and mouse (Quignon et al., 2003;
Quignon et al., 2005). There is some
inter-species overlap in olfactory repetoires suggesting evolution from a common mammalian repetoire.
The difference in the olfactory receptor gene repetoires across species may,
in part, account for the findings that the
threshold of detection for a given odorant differs among species. Through the
course of evolution, the olfactory gene
repetoire of a species will be shaped by
natural selection, allowing the species to
acquire the ability to detect biologically relevant odors at thresholds that are
functionally relevant. Within any given
species, different odors will have different thresholds of detection based on
the physical properties of the odors and
the importance of the odors for the species (Goldblatt et al., 2009). However, it
would not be parsimonious for every biologically relevant odor to have a unique
receptor. Rather, the animal would be
better served if it possessed the capability to learn new and complex odors that
are relevant. The large array of ORs expressed in macrosmatic animals allows
for these needed expansive combinatorial computations. The neuronal encoding
for the learning of novel complex odors
occurs in the higher brain levels (as discussed above) and is also influenced by
evolutionary pressures.
Genetic variation within individuals of
a species is well documented and these
differences partially account for the differences in olfactory ability that have
been reported. Studies in humans and
mice have linked large genetic variability in ORs to inter-individual sensitivity to
odors. For example, Keller et al. (2007)
demonstrated that polymorphisms in
specific OR genes accounted for sensitivity to specific odorant molecules in
humans. Large genetic differences also
exist within dogs, as witnessed by the
350+ breeds. It is has been suggested
that variations in olfactory gene repetoires between breeds and polymorphisms within a breed account for the
range of ability in olfactory acuity and
discrimination observed in dogs. Tacher
et al. (2005) investigated the level of
December 2015
Trainer’s Corner
polymorphism in 16 OR genes in 95
dogs representing 20 breeds. They
found a high level of polymorphism
(multiple allelic variants per gene site)
at all 16 genes. Some of the allelic
variants were specific to one breed.
They also found different breeds had
different subsets and frequencies of
pseudogenes (genes that are functionally inactive due to mutations). Some
studies have linked high frequencies of
pseudogenes to poor odor sensitivity;
for example, quantification of the human olfactory subgenome found 51%
of the genes were pseudogenes.
Lesniak et al. (2008) reasoned that
the performance of odor detection
dogs might be linked to specific polymorphisms, i.e. that particular alleles
at an OR locus would enhance odor
recognition accuracy. They examined
5 OR genes, all from subsets of the
olfactory subgenome that are thought
to be crucial in odor discrimination, in
35 dogs that were trained in various
detection disciplines including human
identification, ED, drug detection, and
cancer marker detection. The dogs
were predominantly male GSDs. The
dogs were field tested and then ranked
relative to their overall performance.
Their performance was correlated to
the genotypes at the specific 5 ORs
that were examined. The study found
that specific alleles at two gene loci
appeared to be linked to odor recognition efficiency, regardless of the dog’s
specialty. The researchers discuss the
methodological weaknesses and small
sample size regarding their interpretations. However, they are encouraged
that larger scale studies of this kind
may provide genetic information that
will be useful in the breeding and selection of dogs suitable for work in various
canine detection disciplines.
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About the Author: Dr. Kathryn Bamford is a clinical psychologist who
has worked in the search and rescue field since 2002. She is active
in search and rescue in the state of New York, handling and training
search and rescue and cadaver detection dog teams. She has trained,
handled and certified two personal SAR dogs and currently serves
as the K-9 Coordinator for the New York State Federation of Search
& Rescue Teams. This article is an outstanding resource for anyone
utilizing detector dogs. Deborah Palman, Maine Warden Service, ret.
December 2015
END
WATCH
of
A Working Dog's Oath
Author - Unknown
I will lay down my life for you and expect
nothing but love in return.
I protect my officer with my life, and would
gladly take a bullet in his place.
I am sent in to find lost children and fugitives on the run.
I find drugs and weapons and even bombs.
I am the first sent in and sometimes the
last to leave.
I am the nose and ears of my officer.
I will protect and serve him.
I would die for him and for you.
I only ask for compassion and a kind word.
K9 Hyco was shot and killed while
tracking a suspect who fled on foot
following a vehicle pursuit. Anderson
County Sheriff's Office, SC. End of
Watch: October 21, 2015
K9 Koa died from injuries sustained
five days earlier while conducting a
training exercise. Lander Police Department, WY. End of Watch: October 16,
2015
K9 Dutch died during a training exercise. Minneapolis Police Department,
MN. End of Watch: September 5, 2015
K9 Ike suffered fatal stab wounds
during an apprehension. Vancouver
Police Department, WA
End of Watch: September 2, 2015
K9 Dingo and K9 Kojack both succumbed to heat exhaustion when the air
conditioner in a vehicle failed. Maryland Division of Correction, MD. End
of Watch: August 25, 2015
*Note. 2015 has been the most deadly
year for heat related deaths of police
dogs. As of August 2015 eleven police
dogs have died as a result of being left
unchecked in police vehicles.
Source Officer Down Memorial Page
USPCA GEAR
Back
Window Decals
Hooded Sweatshirt
$40.00
$2.00 Each
Polo Shirts $25.00
ORDER ON-LINE at http://www.uspcak9.com/store/
December 2015
Advertise
With US!
For Rates & schedule contact: Robert Dougherty Jr.
Phone: 610.316.3942 • Fax: 215.948.3594 • Email: uspcacourier@gmail.com
December 2015
Canine
Courier
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410 Norfolk Rd.
Flourtown, PA 19031

Russ Hess • USPCA Advanced Explosive Course • 2015 USPCA

Transcription

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