Butch Cappel

The sight of a well trained police dog doing its’ job is a thing of absolute poetry. And it should be.

After all these dogs spend their days working with their partner while civilians' dogs spend theirs waiting for their partner to come home. There is a catch to working with a PSD. You would have to be a full time Police officer to fill that slot.

What does that mean?

Well for one thing it means full time ‘communication’ between the officer and their dog. In other words the opportunity to see their dog in more places, doing more things, in maybe one week than the average civilian will see in 6 months. This can only be a big plus, and great education, for the dedicated K9 Handler.

While the civilians can only buy DVDs’ or, God forbid, go to the APPA Dap A Doo message board for information. But not any longer!!!

K9 PRO SPORTS civilian members will now have the opportunity to work directly with some of the best PSDs’ and full time K9 Handlers in this country. The “American Council for Criminal Justice Training” is a non-profit organization of police officers and Departments that are dedicated to furnishing state of the art training in everything from court room testimony, to self defense for officers.

They also make available to the public, courses on firearms and self defense training. Trainers like MMA legend, Hoyce Gracie have put together state of the art programs for the ACCJT that can be enjoyed by civilians as well as PD.

Enter the DOG!

Sgt. Mike Kay is putting together a program that will take the ACCJT into the K9 world. Offering certification of K9’s as well as certification for instructors as they currently do for Firearms and Self Defense instructors. And this has What? To do with K9PS, several people and a few lurking IE’s are asking right now.

In order to maintain the high standards used by the ACCJT in setting their certification programs Sgt. Kay will be using the K9 PRO SPORTS Patrol Division system as criteria for the ACCJT patrol certification.

Sgt. Kay (Mike) is one of those people that came to the K9 Unit not because he liked dogs, but because he LIKED dogs and the work they are capable of doing. He is that rare individual that CHOSE his vacation time according to what training seminars he could attend.

He has worked with some of the most accomplished trainers in the US and his knowledge and dog skills are obvious in the first five minutes you see him work with his dog Krueger. Mike has taken his time and money to learn from trainers like Randy Hare, probably the most innovative detection dog trainer in the US and definitely the most respected American dog trainer around today.

Mike will be using his knowledge gained from Randy, and I’m sure guidance from him also, to set up the Detections certifications.

We at K9PS will be working with Mike on the Patrol Dog Certification. Our K9PS certified Decoy for the NW, Tim Steagall, is already working with Mike and a few other PD’s and will be expanding his chores to help with even more PD’s.

Newly certified K9PS decoy Denise Mullenix is currently training with Mike and brings her expertise in Search and Rescue work to the mix to make a truly all around dog training program available to everyone.

Yes everyone, because just as the ACCJT works with civilians in their Firearms and Self Defense programs they will be giving civilians in K9PS the opportunity to train with them, as their PSD members get ready to enter more K9PS trials.

This is just the tip of the iceberg with a lot more good things to come. We are very excited about the potential of this partnership. And it all started at Bella Rosa Cane Corso when Virginia Dunn started a little K9PS marble rolling and it is now a snowball, Thanks Ginn, you do pretty good work!!

I will keep every one updated as the new Board of Directors gets organized and has more information to add. Right now I need to get to an Ausie that needs info for the World Championship this year. Man! It is really getting to be ‘a write home to Mama’ kind of week!

Listen Well, Bite Hard!!!!!!!!!!!!!