K9 unit visits Heartland of Hillsboro for February program
Lead Summary
By
Judy Falk-
On Feb. 6, residents of Heartland had a unique experience when Chief Kevin Cross and Sergeant Matthew Windle of the Seaman, Ohio Police Department presented a program to them. Sergeant Windle brought two of his highly trained K9s for the month's special program: Yara, a Belgian Malinois/Dutch Shepherd mix, 11 years old, retired; and Nikki, a Belgian Malinois, 3 years old and a very active, ready for work dog.
A drug searching demonstration was given showing how the dogs react when finding drugs. Both dogs are trained for tracking; criminal apprehension; narcotics and their derivatives, article, building and area searches; and obedience.
Both are OPOTA-certified dual purpose K9s. They receive 286 hours of training over generally a month and a half. Dogs can start training as early as 3 or 4 months old. They can hear a heartbeat through a door/wall up to 50 feet.
The average bite pressure is 195 pounds per square inch, while a human bite pressure is 120 pounds per square inch. Dogs are trained to bite with a full mouth, not with only the front teeth, as this can cause much damage.
In the U.S., there are over 50,000 Police K9s. In 2018, seven dogs were shot in the line of duty in the U.S.
Since Yara is retired and living full-time with Sergeant Windle and no funds are provided for her care, a foundation has been established for her. Anyone wishing to donate to this fund can do so by sending a donation to: Village of Seaman, Memo - for Yara, at 17806 state Route 247, Seaman, Ohio 45679.
Residents also had the added pleasure of meeting Seaman Police Chief Kevin Cross. Chief Cross spoke of the number of years he has been in law enforcement and the many different duties involved in his job. He also told the residents the number of drug-related stops that are made.
When the residents were asked if they would like to have more programs about police officers and their duties, the answer was a definite yes.
A drug searching demonstration was given showing how the dogs react when finding drugs. Both dogs are trained for tracking; criminal apprehension; narcotics and their derivatives, article, building and area searches; and obedience.
Both are OPOTA-certified dual purpose K9s. They receive 286 hours of training over generally a month and a half. Dogs can start training as early as 3 or 4 months old. They can hear a heartbeat through a door/wall up to 50 feet.
The average bite pressure is 195 pounds per square inch, while a human bite pressure is 120 pounds per square inch. Dogs are trained to bite with a full mouth, not with only the front teeth, as this can cause much damage.
In the U.S., there are over 50,000 Police K9s. In 2018, seven dogs were shot in the line of duty in the U.S.
Since Yara is retired and living full-time with Sergeant Windle and no funds are provided for her care, a foundation has been established for her. Anyone wishing to donate to this fund can do so by sending a donation to: Village of Seaman, Memo - for Yara, at 17806 state Route 247, Seaman, Ohio 45679.
Residents also had the added pleasure of meeting Seaman Police Chief Kevin Cross. Chief Cross spoke of the number of years he has been in law enforcement and the many different duties involved in his job. He also told the residents the number of drug-related stops that are made.
When the residents were asked if they would like to have more programs about police officers and their duties, the answer was a definite yes.