There’s a new top dog in New Zealand Police – Isaac, who with human partner Senior Constable Dave Robison of Whakatane, has earned the title National Police Patrol Dog champion.
Dave and six-year-old Isaac won the Frank Riley Cup for the top police patrol dog team after three days of intense competition in the annual championships last month.
They beat 11 other police patrol dog teams to win the cup, named after the late Inspector Frank Riley, New Zealand Police’s first chief dog trainer. Frank’s son John was on hand to help Commissioner Mike Bush present the trophy.
It was a triply-satisfying championship for Dave and Isaac, who also won the William Rose Bowl for criminal work and the Commissioner’s Challenge Cup for obedience.
They scored 1103 points out of a maximum 1350 and were one of three teams to pass the ‘outstanding’ 1000-point threshold.
Runners-up Senior Constable Gary Donnelly and Blaze (Christchurch) scored 1042 points and won the Colin Guppy Trophy for tracking. Senior Constable Andrew Douglas and Ike (Wellington) finished third with 1012 points.
Senior Constable Kelvin Roberts and Fagan (Auckland) finished sixth in the patrol dog section and also won the Monaghan Trophy for heelwork.
The national championships feature dog teams from Police, Customs, Corrections and Aviation Security (AVSEC) competing in a series of disciplines at various locations in Greater Wellington.
Six teams from Police, Customs and Corrections competed in the narcotics detection category and four teams from Police and AVSEC in the explosive detector section.
Inspector Todd Southall, national police dog training coordinator, praised the high calibre of all the competitors. “It’s the 44th time these trials have been held, and they’re a lot more than just a competition,” he says.
“This week is as much about celebrating our success, challenging ourselves for continual improvement and acknowledging the inter-agency partnerships which are critical to the expansion and success of enforcement dog teams in New Zealand.”
Other results:
· Narcotic Detector Dog – first: Senior Customs Officer Andrew Baker and Zaria (Auckland); second: Corrections Officer Katrina Thomas and Jesse (Auckland); third: Customs Officer Monica Hoeg and Macca (Wellington).
· Customs Cup for the highest marks in locating white powders - Senior Customs Officer Andrew Baker and Zaria (Auckland)
· Explosive Detector Dog – first: Aviation Security Officer Harvey Jefferies and Shadow (Auckland); second: Senior Constable Hamish Todd and Cindy (Wellington); Aviation Security Officer Dave Beer and Star (Christchurch).
Photos by Senior Constable Fiona Foxall and Constable Ivan Penrose, Wellington Forensic Imaging Unit