Working Dogs and Handlers

Working Dogs and Handlers
Police officers work with special units that make use of their dogs’ skills. Thornton says, “They work fire scenes; public transportation venues, such as subway stations, train stations, or airports; and large public events that may be the subject of bomb threats. They may also check vehicles or buildings for drugs or other contraband,” (Chapter 28). The Central Intelligence Agency; the U.S Postal Service; the Secret Service; the Drug Enforcement Administration and many more use dogs in their teams. Some of the most known areas the dogs are in are tracking, substance detection, police enforcement and cadaver. Other type of areas for dogs are arson or they are also known as accelerant-detection K9’s.These dogs are trained to sniff out traces of accelerants or other substances used to set fires. Their job is to investigate fire scenes and to determine a fire’s cause. More than 200 arson dog teams are at work in the United States and even in Canada. The handlers have to trust their dogs like any team does with a human partner. Once the dog alerts that something is there, the handler has to investigate further. The trainers need to establish a bond with the dog that will also become their family. At school’s for handlers and dogs to learn arson detections, they have simulated fire scenes, they learn how to locate and identify tiny drops of accelerants and the fuels used to start fires. Those schools also have challenges the handlers and their dogs face like wet grass, wet buildings, mud, ashes and burnt debris. Dogs aren’t the only ones who have to learn things. “Their handlers must also learn to identify hazards, such as dangerous debris or weakened areas that could endanger their dogs or themselves,” says ...

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...ent scenarios that require having different skills, so if you are searching for a person in an avalanche it would clearly be different then searching for someone in rubble from an explosion. Search and rescue handlers also need to have survival skills already set before becoming a search and rescue handler.

Works Cited

"Homeland Security." Explosive Detection Dog Teams. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.
"K9 Global Training Academy." K9 Global Training Academy RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.
"(SARDUS) Search and Rescue Dogs of the United States." (SARDUS) Search and Rescue Dogs of the United States. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.
Thornton, Kim Campbell. Careers with Dogs: The Comprehensive Guide to Finding Your Dream Job. Irvine, CA: BowTie, 2010. Print.
"What Is an Arson Dog?" Arson Dog Training Program Sponsored by State Farm. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2014.