FULTON COUNTY, OH (Toledo News Now) - Police dogs from across Ohio will soon be prepared to sniff out crime as a 2-day training session kicks off in Fulton County.
More than 20 K-9s and their handlers are going through the training, learning and perfecting everything from car and building searches to bite work.
"They're very valuable," said Fulton County Deputy Sheriff Jeremy Simon. "We can send them to places deputies can't go. He's a lot faster on feet than we are when he's chasing down a suspect, and we can't smell near as good as they can."
Simon has worked with his K-9 partner Arny for about 10 years. Arny lives at Simon's home, and goes to work with him each day.
The skills Arny learns require training and a lot of work. That's why the Wauseon Police Department organized a training event at the Fulton County fairgrounds.
"We do these training sessions to keep the dogs sharp with finding the narcotics, because evidently things change," Simon said. "We want the dogs to keep up on the odor."
Trails were also set up for the K-9s to follow, to practice tracking and finding a missing person.
"The most awesome feeling is when you get to find your first lost child," said Patrolman Ken Blankenship, with the Wauseon PD. "You can find a lot of drugs and a lot of money, but when you find a lost child and take that child back to their mom, that's the greatest feeling in the world, and that's what it's about."
Handlers say that's why they're out there, and why training sessions are so important.
