visit the library They say that a man's best friend is his dog. Well, to hear Sheriff's Deputy Andy Belmont talk, you'd certainly come away with that impression. Andy gave the kick-off session of the Newman Riga Library Summer Reading Session on July 12 talking about his experience with his K-9, Czar, to about 15 children and 17 adults. Czar "is still a puppy," according to Andy, but he trusts his life to him in his duties in the Sheriff's department searching for explosives and bad guys. Andy says his 2-1/2 year old German Shepherd is a dual purpose dog who has an incredible sense of smell, enabling him to both detect nitrates in explosives and look for people. He also is very good at protecting Andy from any physical confrontation with the "bad guys." The dog is originally from Czechoslovakia and was sent over as a puppy. Apparently dogs from that country are a lot more disciplined; it's in the blood line. Czar cost $5,500 plus shipping, and represents a $20,000 investment including the training. Although he is "still a puppy," Czar is a valuable K-9 member, one of seven dogs in the department; three are trained to smell drugs and four can detect nitrates. In a demonstration of his dog's ability, Deputy Belmont hid a tiny piece of nitrate compound on the floor in one corner of the library and Czar started at the other end, sniffing his way around the room. When he discovered the material he laid down; it's called a passive alert, and waited for his trainer. Andy said Czar receives around 48 hours of training every two months. Otherwise the dog is with Andy constantly, and lives in Andy's home. They have bonded over their months together and have a great professional relationship. After answering many questions about how they live and work together, Deputy Belmont asked the children if they would like to pet Czar. About six responded and Czar reacted pleasantly to them all. © July 22, 2007 - Westside News Inc. |
