060611 (Print Version) Wooster K9 unit takes Top Dog award
By Sharon Haught
May 27, 2011
245
Summary: A K9 unit from the Wooster City Police Department has taken home the title Top Dog from the Akron Police Departments Lock 3 K9 Challenge.
For the past eight years Patrolman Brian Waddell of the Wooster City Police Department and his K9 partner Quinto have been inseparable.
Since becoming a team in 2004, the pair has been together 24/7/365 honing the specialized skills necessary to be a top K9 unit.
All the hard work paid off when Waddell and Quinto traveled to Akron on May 21 to compete in the Akron Police Departments Lock 3 K9 Challenge.
After a grueling day of competition that included a series of challenges designed to test the skills of dog and handler alike, Waddell and Quinto emerged with the title Top Dog.
In all 17 teams from throughout the area were invited to complete in an array of events to test the dogs obedience, agility and criminal apprehension capabilities.
During the demanding agility portion of the competition the teams were required to navigate a challenging obstacle course that required the dogs to jump four foot walls, walk a two foot wide catwalk, crawl under a tarp and make their way through a serpentine course.
During the obedience portion of the testing the dogs were evaluated on their ability to heel and keep a steady pace with their handlers as they made their way through a set course, to maintain a down stay position for one minute and to return to their handlers after being instructed to resume a down stay position midway through the recall.
With 16 other K9s and hundreds of spectators and their pets on hand, maintaining the focus necessary to successfully complete the challenges despite all the distractions is a testament to the extensive training the teams undertake.
According to incoming Police Chief Matt Fisher, who most recently headed the four team Wooster K9 unit, obedience skills are the most important skills the dogs learn as part of their extensive training.
Obedience is something that you use every single day in every aspect of your work, said Fisher adding obedience is the foundation everything else is built on so thats something that every police K9 has to be very proficient at.
Like all of the dogs in Woosters K9 unit, Quinto is a dual purpose dog who is trained to detect the odor of narcotics, evidence recovery, tracking, building searches, area searches, apprehension work and handler protection work, said Waddell.
Fisher sees the departments K9s as a valuable tool for the department.
Given their wide ranging skills the dogs are almost a force multiplier, noted Waddell.
For Fisher, having a Wooster team win the Akron competition is a testament to Brian and the time and effort hes put in over the years as well as a validation of Woosters program and the effectiveness of the local training group Woosters team are a part of.
It goes to show the level of commitment and dedication that Brian has towards being a K9 officer, said Police Chief Steve Glick.
All of our dogs are top notch and the fact that we got one that won Top Dog is just icing on the cake, said Glick adding I think the citizens should be very comfortable with the level of training and skills that our K9 officers have.
Waddell, who joined the department in 1999 and is also a member of the departments SWAT team and honor guard, is looking forward to spending another two years with his K9 partner before Quinto retires.
To run a dog, in my opinion, is the best job in the police department. Its one that I cherish - I take pride in, said Waddell.
Essentially its a labor of love, said Waddell adding working with these dogs - I love it.
