TNS Article

MP K-9 teams compete for Top Dog Award

By Alia Naffouj/TRADOC News Service

FORT LEE, Va. (TRADOC News Service, November 2, 2007) -- Military police and their working dogs gathered Oct. 16-19 to hone their force-protection skills in the 2007 U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Military Working Dog Warrior Police Challenge at Fort Lee, Va.

The four-day competition challenged the teams to detect explosives and narcotics, search for personnel, apprehend suspects, negotiate obstacles and complete various canine-related tasks in a mystery event disclosed on the competition’s final day.

Sgt. Jason Bird and his dog Kondi, assigned to the 217th Military Police Detachment at Fort Lee, were named the Top Military Working Dog Team. The team placed first in the Narcotics Detection event and, along with Spc. Matthew Hoffman, were awarded the Top Kennel award.

Staff Sgt. Jonathan Parson of Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., earned the Top Specialized Search Dog Team award with his dog, Buddie.

The competition is fun for the dogs and handlers, and it showcases their abilities, but it also has a very serious purpose. "We pattern this competition on what these teams will be asked to do, whether in Iraq, Afghanistan or on any installation," said TRADOC Command Provost Marshal Col. Keith Blowe. "If anything, we make it more difficult to be sure the dogs are, in fact, doing their jobs and are tested to their fullest capabilities."

Sgt. 1st Class Theodore McCall, TRADOC Military Working Dog Program manager, said the competition enhances the dog teams' training.

"(The handlers) are learning techniques from each other they can take back to their duty stations and become more proficient teams," McCall said. "This competition covers many scenarios for that reason. Several of our scenarios are combat-derivative scenarios to help enhance training for these guys, who will potentially deploy into theater. There are also some scenarios that are garrison-support type of missions, and even some secret-support type of missions."

In its second year, the competition brought teams from all parts of the Army, two teams from the Marine Corps and a civilian team from Colonial Heights, Va. New to this year's competition was the specialized search dog team events. Specialized search dogs are capable of doing a search at a distance from the handler, McCall said.

"The specialized search dog program is only a few years old, and this is the first competition to actually have SSD events," McCall said. "The SSD is an explosive-detector dog with an enhanced off-leash capability. That means there's more verbal control, as opposed to traditional leash control, and a lot less liability. It's a lot safer for the handler because the dogs can work at a great distance."

Thirty-three dog/dog handler teams participated in the SSD and the patrol and explosives/narcotics detection events. SSDs didn't participate in the "aggressor" part of the competition because they're not trained for it, McCall said, but otherwise the events were the same for both categories of dogs.

The competition began with an Army Physical Fitness Test for the dog handlers and the first team event of explosive and narcotics detection. The SSD teams competed in open-area detection.

Each dog's tactical obedience and aggression was also challenged. The dogs were required to maneuver through an obstacle course and then were called forward to "heel" in a designated area. Their aggression was tested in a simulated traffic stop, where a suspect fled the scene. Each dog had to bring the suspect down and then chase another suspect, but not attack him when the suspect surrendered.

"The K-9 core is always changing," said Staff Sgt. William Brown of Fort Benning, Ga. "The judges always throw different things at us each time."

The last day of the competition involved surprise "mystery" events that required handlers to go to several locations and do things like carry their dog, low-crawl, shoot at targets, and walk up ramps and across boards.

Sgt. Jason Alber of Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., conducted the route-detection event Oct. 17 with his dog, Eva. He said he was pleased with Eva's performance, given that they both had just graduated from Specialized Search Dog School at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, in August.

During the half-mile search, Alber commanded Eva to explore the route as far ahead as he could keep sight of her, which could be up to 150 meters. The distance, as McCall had pointed out, protects the handler in case the dog sets off an explosive.

"I keep my eye on Eva because I don't want to let the enemy harm my dog," Alber said. "The aim is to save lives, and I can't do that if my tool is taken away from me."

The dogs have an actual military-service record book assigned to them, and actively search for explosives and/or play a part in seizing the enemy wherever they are stationed or deployed to. Many of the working dog teams have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.

In spite of the inherent danger of the job, Staff Sgt. Brian Coleman of Fort Rucker, Ala., said he loves his job. "It's good work," he said. "You can't beat it. Best job in the Army."

Category	Handler/dog team	Unit
Top Military Working Dog Team	Sgt. Jason Bird/Kondi	Fort Lee, Va
Top Kennel	Sgt. Jason Bird/Kondi Spc. Matthew Hoffman/Roxy	Fort Lee, Va.
Top SSD Team	Sgt. Jonathan Parson/Buddie	Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
Top Dog (Civilian)	Officer William Moody/Lou	Colonial Heights (Va.) Police
Narcotics Detection – 1st	Sgt. Jason Bird/Kondi	Fort Lee, Va.
Narcotics Detection – 2nd	Marine Corps Cpl. Melissa Losacker/Kano	Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Narcotics Detection – 3rd	Sgt. Eric Harter/Nero	Fort Jackson, S.C.
Explosives Detection – 1st	Sgt. Kyle Slania/Cigany	14th MP Detachment, Korea
Explosives Detection – 2nd	Sgt. Matthew McCummins/Otta	Fort Eustis, Va.
Explosives Detection – 3rd	Sgt. Randy Iverson/Hard	Fort Polk, La.
Tactical Obedience – 1st	Staff Sgt. Jonathan Parson/Buddie	Fort Leonard Wood, Mo
Tactical Obedience – 2nd	Sgt. Matthew McCummins/Otta	Fort Eustis, Va.
Tactical Obedience – 3rd	Spc. Corey Perkins/Rain	Fort Leonard Wood, Mo
Building and Area Search – 1st	Staff Sgt. Raymond Nelson/Brix	Fort Belvoir, Va.
Building and Area Search – 2nd	Sgt. Matthew McCummins/Otta	Fort Eustis, Va.
Building and Area Search - 3rd	Sgt. Randy Iverson/Hard	Fort Polk, La.
Handler Protection – 1st	Staff Sgt. Matthew Hoctel/Packo	92nd MP Company, Europe
Handler Protection – 2nd	Marine Corps Cpl. Michael Issac/Gordon	Camp Lejeune, N.C
Handler Protection – 3rd	Staff Sgt. Matthew Clayton/Beast	Fort Huachuca, Ariz.
Iron Dog Decathlon – 1st	Sgt. Kyle Slania/Cigany	14th MP Detachment, Korea
Iron Dog Decathlon – 2nd	Sgt. Bryan Pitts/Wandor	529th MP Company, Europe
Iron Dog Decathlon – 3rd	Sgt. Michael Bending/Mandy	Fort Knox, Ky.
Hardest Hitting Dog – tie (Award is given to the dog, not the handler)	Military Working Dog Jings and Military Working Dog Oakley	Fort Eustis, Va. Fort Riley, Kan.