North Dakota’s First Ever Police K-9 Training Class

Police officers from across the state spent their morning in a vet clinic.  They got a crash course in how to handle a K-9 emergency.

Police officers from cities like Dickinson, Bismarck and Wahpeton all made the journey to Casselton Veterinary Clinic. It’s the first ever first aid K-9 training program to be offered in the state, and officers walked away with some valuable lessons.
 
Cass County Deputy Sheriff Daniel Hermann and K-9 Ed are working partners. But after 8 years that partnership has turned into much more.
 
“I spend more time with Ed than I do with my own family because if I’m home he’s there. If I go to work he’s there as well. He’s pretty much with me all the time,” says Hermann.

And that’s exactly why he is spending his morning at Casselton Veterinary Clinic.
 
“We’ve had various issues that have happened with Ed such as breaking teeth or different issues that would need vet attention,” says Hermann.
 
Fortunately, Ed’s injuries haven’t been life threatening. But anything can happen, especially for police K-9’s on patrol.  Herman, along with police officers from across the state, want to be prepared.
 
“They can’t talk to us and say hey I’m hot, I need to go cool down a little. You have to be able to recognize their body language,” says veterinarian Eric Timm.
 
A few years back, Timm was approached by an officer suggesting the need for the course. Since then Timm has attended conferences, preparing to administer the state’s first ever first-aid K-9 training class. Many police dogs are trained to sniff out drugs and narcotics but what happens if they ingest them? That’s something police want to figure out.
 
“Drug use apparently does not seem to be on the decline. One of the substances police canines are going to come into contact with a lot,” says Timm.
 
Ed is primarily a narcotics search dog, just another reason Sheriff Herman wanted to attend the class, making sure his years with Ed are far from over.
 
Since it was the first class offered Timm says he will wait to hear feedback from the officers to determine if and when there will be a next class.