Dozer & David A Winning Wakefield Police Team

A release from the Wakefield Police Department and of course, Dozer:

WAKEFIELD -- Wakefield Police Officer David Rando and his K9 partner Dozer recently completed a national patrol dog certification program, and were one of the top handler and dog teams to participate in competitive trials over the weekend according to Chief Rick Smith.

Officer Rando and Dozer competed in the United States Police Canine Association Police Dog 1 Field Trials this past weekend in Hillsborough, N.H. The program is considered to be the most difficult K9 certification course in the country.

During the weekend, they competed in several trials in the "novice" field, earning first place overall, first place in criminal apprehension and second place overall in search skills.

Because it was their first time competing in the trials, they were in the novice category, competing with 24 other teams from police departments throughout the northeast, including Boston, Worcester, New York City, and Manchester, Portsmouth, and Hillsborough, New Hampshire.

“I am so proud of K9 Dozer and his handler, Officer Rando," Chief Smith said. "They both work so hard together, during scheduled work hours as well as on their own time. Their dedication and determination proved to be the difference maker last weekend.”

Due to the difficulty of the program, Officer Rando and Dozer trained three to four times a week for two months to prepare. For officer Rando, the training paid off in the long run.

“No matter how frustrating or difficult the training days may have been, the outcome from our trial was beyond rewarding and proved all of our hard work and the time invested in our training paid off,” Officer Rando said.

In order for a K9 to participate in the program and compete in the trials, the dog must be well-rounded in all aspects of being a patrol dog. Those skills include proficiency in obedience, agility, scent discrimination, article searches and apprehension.

For their efforts, Officer Rando and Dozer took home several trophies and, most importantly, the national patrol dog certification.

Photos courtesy Wakefield Police Department