The week of February 15 we headed out to Vohne Liche Kennels to meet different dogs and find the best match for our departmental needs and our handler. We evaluated ten dogs-nine were male and there was one female in the group that consisted of German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, and Dutch Shepherds. The dogs were evaluated on “ball drive” (searching for and retrieving tennis balls) which approximates the drive the dog would have for tracking, along with article and drug searches. They were evaluated to see if they were sensitive to their environments. This is important as the dog needs to be able to crawl under objects, jump over objects and be willing to enter vehicles or other confined areas. The dogs were checked to see if they would be distracted by other animal scents, or if they would focus on the task at hand.
There was an obstacle course on site, as you can see from their website, and we utilized this as our first evaluations step. We brought handlers from Sterling P.D. and Illinois State Police (Dist. 16) with us to assist in the selection process. They put the dogs through their paces on the obstacle course and the ball drive tests. After we had put them all through these preliminary steps, we took four finalists into the indoor training facility. The dogs were tested with bite sleeves and a full bite suit to see what their abilities were. The handlers also attempted to distract the dogs with various noises and the animals were taken mid-bite through a pit full of empty cans and milk jugs. Inside the simulation rooms we tested the ability of the dogs to find and bite in the dark as well as on slick floors.
All the officers in our group agreed that “Don” was the best dog for us. He continually performed at a high level and he showed that he was a strong yet social dog. He was born 12-05-08 in the Czech Republic and he is a Belgian Malinois who was in the country for about one week prior to our visit.
February 24, 2010
