Rutland K9
EARNS HIGH MARKS IN TRAINING
By Patrick McArdle
ffi cer Nathan Harvey, of the
Rutland City Police Department,
wasn’t sure his partner would
excel at searching for suspects, but eager to
get to work, K9 King Cobalt used his new
skills and earned his team the highest score
at the recent “United States Police Canine
Association’s region 4 trials in Portsmouth,
New Hampshire.
“I was hoping to certify. I was not
expecting to come home with anything.
… The fi rst time we ever did it was the
Friday before the competition, and then we
competed on Saturday,” Harvey said.
Harvey and King Cobalt earned the
highest score among the nine novice teams
participating in the 2019 trial.
In the suspect search exercise, a person
playing the “suspect” gets into one of six
O
4-foot by 4-foot plywood boxes spread
evenly in a fi eld. The K9 has to fi nd the
right box where the suspect is hiding.
The skill was new to Cobalt but Harvey
has been training the dog since they went
through the Vermont Police Academy
together.
“I’ve done a lot of training out of state,
just to get as much experience as I can and
see the way other people do it,” Harvey
said.
After the success at the national
certifi cation event, Harvey said he is
considering seeking other certifi cations.
Harvey said there were almost 30 teams
in total, including K9s and handlers from
Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts
and New York at the United States Police
Canine Association Region 4 canine trials
during the weekend of June 29 and 30.
MAIN ST.
KING COBALT. (ROBERT LAYMAN / STAFF PHOTO)
Harvey said he believed he and Cobalt
were the only Vermont team at the trials.
The teams were tested in disciplines like
obedience, agility, evidence search and
apprehension.
For each of the skills, the teams are
watched by fi ve teams who meticulously
determine the right score for the police
offi cer and K9 participating.
FAIR HAVEN, VT
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO
TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY EVERY DAY!
12 • RUTLAND HERALD HOMETOWN HEROES JULY 2019