The American Kennel Club (AKC) will broadcast its first-ever AKC/USPCA K9 Detection Dog Challenge on ESPN2 on Nov. 28.
Only 20 dog teams from across the country competed, and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office was represented by Lt. Joe Angarone and his K-9 partner, Bela.
The event, hosted by the AKC and the United States Police Canine Association, brings the best of the best in narcotics and explosives detection dogs from around the nation together to demonstrate the important role dogs play in law enforcement and keeping our country safe, according to information provided by AKC.
“We are thrilled to host this exciting event with the USPCA,” AKC Executive Secretary Gina DiNardo said in the statement. “It’s amazing to see these dogs in action and show viewers their training and precision. We can’t wait to share it with the ESPN2 audience.”
The event was held on Nov. 15 at the PNC Arena, where 10 narcotics dog teams and 10 explosives detection dog teams competed against each other to see which could find their respective substance – illegal narcotics and explosive substances – the quickest, according to the statement. The teams navigated obstacles and sorted through distractions to find the hidden items.
They were scored on the accuracy of their search, perfection of their alert (telling the handler where the hide is), and the find itself (a combination of the ability of the dog and the handler to accurately tell judges where the hide is located).
The AKC/USPCA K9 Detection Dog Challenge will air at 10 p.m.
To learn more about AKC events, visit www.akc.org.
To learn more about the USPCA, visit www.uspcak9.com/.