Posted on 02/18/2006 4:51:24 PM PST by SandRat
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz.---The Provost Marshal’s Office K-9 Marines and their dogs visited Yuma’s Centennial Middle School Feb. 8 to provide law enforcement education for students in the eighth graders.
The Marines started the demonstration with an example of a hot stop. A hot stop consists of the K-9 handler finding himself in potential danger, then using a remote control device to release the dog from the vehicle, allowing the dog to come to his aid.
The K-9 handlers also performed the aggression-type training, in which the dog bites a would-be suspect in a controlled environment, as well as running the dogs through an obstacle course.
The obstacle course consists of walls, a window and a catwalk, simulating different obstacles dogs might run into on the job, said Cpl. Elijah S. Prudhome, K-9 handler with PMO.
After taking some questions from the students, the K-9 handlers provided the children with a chance to test their speed against one of the dogs in a 30-yard dash.
“At first, I actually thought I could beat the dog,” said Greg Clark, eighth grade student at Centennial Middle School. “After I saw the time the dog put up, I knew there was no way I could beat him. The dogs were a lot quicker than I expected. I would never think of trying to outrun one of those dogs.”
Following the speed test, the Marines finished the demonstration by performing one of their new tricks, a double dog bite. Instead of just having one dog chase a suspect down, they released two dogs after a fleeing suspect.
“We tried to do as much as we can with what we had,” said Prudhome, a native of Bartlesville, Okla. “We try to bring all the dogs out whenever we get the chance. They can all do the same thing, but each one does it a little differently.”
Sgt. James Campion, kennel master, PMO, said the handlers put on the demonstrations to give people an understanding of what they do.
“You don’t have to be afraid of military or police dogs because they can be friendly,” said Campian, a native of Cape Coral, Fla. “This is good for the dogs because it exposes them to being around many people, and this informs the public (about) exactly what we do. For us, this is just another training day, except we are at a school and we are explaining what we do to people.”
Officer Alan Ienn, school resource officer, Centennial Middle School, who provides law enforcement-related education Tuesdays and Thursdays, spends his time at the school trying to bridge the gap between students and law enforcement personnel.
“Every year, I like to have one or two demonstrations for the students,” said Ienn. “It’s a good break from the classroom. This is also a good way to get them excited about the next class.”
Ienn said exhibitions like the one the Marines put on help students understand that law enforcement people are just like them.
“We all like coming out here and putting on demonstrations,” said Prudhome. “It lets people know what we do and it gets us out in the community.”
As much as the handlers like giving the demonstrations, the students also appreciated the time and effort of the Marines.
“I thought the dog show was cool,” said Clark. “It was like nothing I have ever seen before. This is definitely something I would like to see again and if we can’t see it again this year, then hopefully next year’s students can.”
Doggie ping!
I would love to see a video of the doggies doing their best "tricks". Brave Marine Pupsters!!!! My dog Lola is very jealous she can't be a Marine doggie except in spirit.
Saw a demo of military dogs in San Antonio with Belgian Malinois. Most impressive.
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