Dear Editor,
I read with interest the article regarding the incident of the abuse of a security dog on Front Street.
I, like many others, was horrified when I saw the beating of the dog in a video on Facebook.
This should never have happened.
In the article of Wednesday’s paper, the owner of First Response responds to the issues. I am pleased that the handler will no longer be working in the K9 unit and I hope he is never allowed to handle animals again.
I do, however, have some questions.
I am not a professional but I have done some research, and I question how well-trained these dogs and handlers are.
For instance, it was stated the dog detected the smell of gunpowder on the police officers and began barking at the police and then got loose from the handler.
I thought that trained security dogs are usually taught a more passive response, which most often is sitting and staring intently at the location or scent found. I do not understand why a well-trained dog would be aggressive as described, just to find a scent. I also do not understand why a well-trained handler could not better "handle" his dog.
So, therefore, I question the level of training of this dog. Was this dog actually trained to be a security dog? That training is different, I believe, from the training certificate mentioned in the article. It is my understanding that to work with a security dog both the dog and the handler have to go through an obedience exam and aggression control and do it together. Did this occur? Can K9 training records be produced verifying this?
And then I question the level of training of the handlers. Are the handlers certified? Who certified them? Did they certify with a certain dog and are there records to show this?
What qualifications must the handlers have?
Don't forget, a security dog and a handler must be partners and have a special trust with each other. It is supposed to be a team effort built by bonding.
It just doesn't feel like this is the case here.
Unfortunately the article and the response leave me with more questions than answers.
I think these issues should be further investigated and evaluated. If these K9 programs are not up to professional standards, it can only create more possible incidents.
I would not want to see another case of animal abuse happening on this island.
Barbara Cannegieter
