Tactical Tracker Teams – A Guide To High Risk Manhunts

March 14, 2013 by

“***Announcement***
tactical_tracker_teams_guideTactical Tracker Teams; A Guide To High Risk Manhunts Alpine Publications is shipping now! As soon as I get my paws on a copy I will announce the winner of the Vote for the TTT Cover Contest winner. TTT was truly a collaboration over the years and I want to say a special thank you to everyone who helped me with this process, Bill Lewis II Tactical Debriefs, D-Bach Kay-Nine, Dave Barker, Stephen Hanks, Kent Stuart, Frank Merritt and David Layne US Army CTT, Jason Ferren and Karen McKay along with their wonderful staff at K9 Cop Magzine, Ace K9, Melissa Bender , the officers and K9′s from Melbourne PD, Brevard County Sheriff, Hayward PD, Los Altos PD, Sunnyvale PD, Veterans Affairs Police, Modesto PD, Placerville PD, and of course, the best K9 publisher there is, Betty McKinney and all of her staff at Alpine Publications. There is not enough room here to list everyone but you all know who you are!

We will start to ship the books by the end of next week! If you have not ordered yet you can now at the link below.

http://gak9.com/store/index.php?route=product/category&path=20″

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THE HONEST KITCHEN® VOLUNTARILY RECALLS

February 25, 2013 by

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GEORGIA K9 NATIONAL TRAINING CENTER
Georgia K9 National Training Center
Jeff Schettler
Kelli Collins
1-877-360-MyK9 ( 6959 )
info@gak9.com

THE HONEST KITCHEN® VOLUNTARILY RECALLS

Edisto Island, South Carolina – February 22, 2013 – We have been in constant contact with the CEO of The Honest Kitchen regarding the voluntary recall of ( 5 ) five lots of it’s Verve, Zeal and Thrive pet food products. We would like to emphasize that Georgia K9 NTC is in complete support of The Honest Kitchen and applaud their self initiated efforts with this recall. We have not, are not nor do we intend to suspend the use of The Honest Kitchen products in the future.

To date The Honest Kitchen has no confirmed test results for salmonella in the food being recalled, this is a proactive precaution based on the recall of the raw ingredient by a particular supplier. That being said The Honest Kitchen has said they are fully accountable for their products and stand behind them completely as does Georgia K9 NTC.

We will continue to monitor this recall and be in contact with The Honest Kitchen as it pertains to this recall and in the event any further information becomes available we will send out additional notifications.

Again, we would like to emphasize that Georgia K9 NTC is in 100% support of The Honest Kitchen, has not and will not suspend use of The Honest Kitchen product and applaud their self initiated efforts with this recall.

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Filed Under: Blog, Nutrition

THE HONEST KITCHEN® VOLUNTARILY RECALLS

February 22, 2013 by

 

honest_kitchen

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release PDF

THE HONEST KITCHEN® VOLUNTARILY RECALLS LIMITED LOTS
OF VERVE®, ZEAL® AND THRIVE® PRODUCTS DUE TO POSSIBLE HEALTH RISK

CONTACT:
Lucy Postins
The Honest Kitchen
1‐866‐437‐9729
info@thehonestkitchen.com
www.thehonestkitchen.com/

SAN DIEGO – February 21, 2013 – The Honest Kitchen today announced that it is voluntarily recalling
five lots of its Verve, Zeal and Thrive pet food products produced between August and November 2012
and sold nationwide in the US and Canada via retail stores, mail order and online after August 2012
because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. No other Honest Kitchen batches,
production dates or products are affected.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following
symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely,
Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis,
muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having
contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Animals with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and
vomiting. Some animals will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but
otherwise healthy animals can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your animals have
consumed the recalled product and have these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

The Company is taking this action after learning that one of its raw ingredients suppliers has recalled a
batch of human‐grade parsley that may contain Salmonella. The batch of parsley was shipped to the
Company in 2012 and used in the production of five lots of finished Honest Kitchen products.

products_recalled

Consumers who purchased the above lots of Honest Kitchen Verve, Zeal or Thrive products should stop
feeding the products to their pets, remove the UPC (bar code) and lot code from the packaging, and
discard the contents in a covered trash receptacle. Lot codes are located on the top of product boxes
either adjacent to or opposite the UPC.

The Honest Kitchen regularly tests for Salmonella and other pathogens as part of its quality control
process and has not received to date any reports of illness associated with these lots of products.
Nonetheless, the Company is proceeding with this action in order to ensure the full safety and quality of
its products.

“We are committed to providing the highest‐quality human‐grade food available to our customers’
pets,” said Lucy Postins, founder, CEO and CMO of The Honest Kitchen. “While our quality control tests
did not find evidence of Salmonella in any of our finished products, we are accountable for everything
we make, and are taking precautionary action to ensure the safety and integrity of our products.”

The lots being recalled are:

thehonestkitchen

thehonestkitchen_2

Consumers can receive a replacement or full refund of the MSRP of the affected products plus $1 to
cover postage, by mailing the UPC and lot code along with a completed Reimbursement Form to The
Honest Kitchen, 145 14th Street, San Diego, Calif. 92101, Attn: Reimbursements. All refunds will be
processed within five business days (plus postage time).

The Honest Kitchen products use human‐food grade ingredients. The Company’s products are made in a human food facility and held to the same high quality control standards as human food products. Employees taste products as part of the quality control and research & development processes.

To supplement its quality control processes while maintaining its commitment to gentle processing that
protects natural nutrients, The Honest Kitchen is enacting additional procedures:

All dehydrated leafy greens will be steamed, to further protect against the possibility of
Salmonella and other pathogens;

All leafy greens will receive a second test for pathogens after arrival at the Company’s
manufacturing facility, in addition to the testing conducted internally by suppliers;

The Company has discontinued its relationship with the supplier who provided the parsley used
in the production of the lots being recalled.

For questions or more information, contact The Honest Kitchen by phone at 1‐866‐437‐9729 or email at
info@thehonestkitchen.com. Customer service representatives will be available Monday through Friday,
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. PST to respond to inquiries.

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Filed Under: Blog, Nutrition

Fire Trails, Runaways

February 16, 2013 by

I get asked a lot about the need for runaway trails for new dogs and when do I stop them. Here was a recent answer to a new reader:

GAK9 Manhunter Karma

I use the term runaway or “fire trail”, both of those have been around for about 100 years or so and I just adopted them. A vet by the name of Leon Whitney wrote about this 1953 in his book, “Bloodhounds and How to Train Them”. Dr. Whitney was a very influential dog trainer and breeder before and after WWII and was a prolific writer for not only his book on bloodhounds and dog psychology but also in various magazines such as a 1937 issue of Popular Science. He was taught by a very famous handler at the turn of the last century, Capt. GV Mullikan. Mullikan was famous for many exploits probably the most significant being his constant tracking of the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s. Mullikin is also credited with a 300 hour old trail but there is no verification of that it was actually trailing. I have serious reservations about this claim but mention it here because it is used so very much to profess the abilities of the bloodhound and further what I consider to be an urban myth. Even though I question the voracity of the age, Mullikan’s find and conviction rate is probably still one of the highest for a bloodhound handler. However, I digress.

I was taught about runaways when I first started by just about every one of my early trainers, the late Glenn Rimbey being probably the most influential and the biggest proponent of the process.

I now teach the fire trail but with my own spin on it. I mention the history here because I have heard some folks recently making claims that this is a “new” method of training or their “own method” when in reality it has probably been around since the first bloodhound was used to hunt people…so several hundred years. Frankly, what we do now is nothing more than a new spin on what a lot of people probably did long before we picked up a trailing lead.

I believe the basis for tracking and trailing is the excitement of the chase. It is the biological, mother nature given gift, given to all canids to help them hunt. Without the excitement and drive for the scent trail the dog could not survive and the “trailing” gene would probably disappear. I wrote an entire chapter on the process, Chapter 8 in K9 Trailing; The Straightest Path, that talks about the use of the fire trail to build the drive of the dog and establish the foundation for all future work.

So, to answer your question, I do runaways until the dog physically dies. From the day I get the pup to it’s last days, we do fire trails. I believe It is why the dog trails in the first place, what they enjoy the most, and they never get tired or bored with it. If they don’t like them to begin with, I really question the dogs’ trailing ability to begin with and usually pass such a dog over when testing. I have heard many trainers and especially handlers espouse the “fact” that veteran dogs will get bored or tired of runaways and it is the reason that their dogs won’t do them or react poorly to fresh, short trails. I honestly believe this is rationalization for dogs that probably aren’t too motivated to trail in the first place. It smacks more of human rationalization for a

Bloodhound RONIN

flaw than anything else. In my experience, the runaway is the essence of trailing life and the dogs love it forever. To say a good trailing dog will get bored with a runaway is like saying a good detection dog will get bored with it ball. The runaway is the trigger and subsequent catch is the prize burned inedibly in the dogs brain synopsis.

My first trailing bloodhound, Ronin, was my sounding board for trailing. He tolerated all of my mistakes and really trained me in how to work and read a dog. He walked his last runaway of about 20 feet the day before he died. He was so happy about that runaway and the light in his eyes blazed with life and passion. For just a moment, he was an 12 week old puppy again. I knew then, more than ever, that the runaway was the reason for it all. The runaway is my tennis ball for all of our trailing dogs and I never end them.

Do I run fire trails with every training session? No, I believe in a variable reward training approach to increase drive and motivation while reducing the chances of handler cuing. But, I do them a lot and for the life of the dog.

Jeff

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Dogs’ superhuman noses tested

February 7, 2013 by

CBS Atlanta 46

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -

Dogs’ keen sense of smell is more important to humans than ever before, said Jeff Schettler of the Georgia K9 National Training Center in Canton. Schettler, a retired police K-9 handler, trains military and police dogs to sniff out humans, cadavers, drugs and explosives.

“Every day in Afghanistan or Iraq a dog detects an improvised explosives device in a place people are doing business. How many hundreds or thousands of people did he save?” asked Schettler.

To better understand the power of a dog’s nose, CBS Atlanta News partnered with Schettler and his team to demonstrate how a trained trailing bloodhound named Dare can track a person down.

A trainer, acting as a “fugitive,” hid deep into 4,000 acres of woods in rural Cherokee County.  He intentionally dropped a rag that serves as a scent article necessary for any dog to begin a hunt. According to Schettler, the scent article can be almost any item that contains the subject’s odor.

Handler Joseph Citta instructed Dare to sniff the rag. Instantly, Dare found the invisible scent trail and dragged Citta down the hill.

Schettler explained that dogs have a unique ability to isolate each person’s unique odor that he or she leaves behind.

A forest is ideal for trailing because each step Dare takes through leaves and vegetation stirs up remnants of the person’s odor; confirming for Dare that she’s on the right track.

Citta explained that handling is mentally and physically draining.

“There’s no way you can just run behind the dog. If the dog is distracted, you have to be watching the dog the whole time no matter what obstacles are in front of you,” said Citta.

Ten minutes after beginning her hunt, Dare achieved what is humanly impossible and found the “fugitive” a half-mile into the woods. Citta rewarded her with a treat and praise.

GPS tracking devices show Dare followed the subject’s track almost perfectly.

“Imagine trying to visually track that [without a dog]. Footstep to footstep, broken branch to broken branch. Overturned leaf to overturned leaf.  It would be hours if not days” said Schettler.

Schettler said he believes any dog has the ability to follow scent. Whether they do it successfully depends on their drive.

To test that theory, reporter Jeff Chirico volunteered his 7-year-old mutt, Dallas. Once Chirico was hidden a hundred yards away, Dallas began running in his direction. But Dallas quickly became sidetracked by coyote waste and had a difficult time finding Chirico’s trail afterwards.

Schettler said dogs he trains for trailing are specially-bred and have an innate desire to hunt.  It takes four to six months of training before a dog is ready for work.

Posted: Feb 06, 2013 6:15 PM EST Updated: Feb 07, 2013 7:30 AM EST
By Jeff Chirico
Copyright 2013 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation).  All rights reserved.

Filed Under: Blog, News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Officer Baggetta and K9 Titan

February 2, 2013 by

Officer Baggetta and K9 Titan were used for a track the other night. San Francisco PD chased a vehicle involved in several robberies into SSF and the vehicle crashed in our city. The driver was immediately apprehended, but the passenger fled on foot. Officer Baggetta had Titan smell the passenger seat and he immediately took off, tracking the suspect. The track was approximately a ½ mile long through vegetation and hard surface. During the track, they found the suspect’s t-shirt. Titan entered a parking garage and the suspect immediately surrendered. Everyone was very impressed with the track, so thank you again for the great training. Hope all is well.

Officer Bagetta and K9 Titan

Filed Under: Blog

Tactical Tracker Teams

January 26, 2013 by

Jeff Schettler’s newest book “K9 Trailing: Tactical Tracking Teams” is about teamwork and it should be required reading for any K9 handler – regardless of experience – who tracks fugitives with a police dog because doing so is arguably the most dangerous job in law enforcement today and a tracking team must be prepared to safely face the challenges as a team to reduce risk and be successful with the mission.

ttt_book_pre-order

Filed Under: Blog

Tactical Tracker Teams – Guide To High Risk Manhunt Operations Extended Review

January 25, 2013 by

Extended version of “K9 Trailing; Tactical Tracking Teams” book review

Tactical Tracker Teams - Guide To High Risk Manhunt OperationsIf you’re a K9 handler who believes tracking fugitives with a police dog in a rural environment or wilderness area is dangerous – and it is – you’ve got to ask yourself on a daily basis “What I am doing to be successful in these pursuits and make each one safer for my team and me?”
Unfortunately, we’ve lost three K9 handlers in the United States in recent years because they were killed while tracking suspects who did not want to be captured. Fortunately, we only lost three. The “old school tracking mentality” of pursuing a suspect without cover officers or leaving cover officers behind due to the rapid pace of the dog and impatience of the handler is not recommended any longer – it’s not safe – and you may not go home to your loved ones at the end of the trail if you are a handler who continues to work in this manner with this mentality.
Jeff Schettler’s newest book “K9 Trailing: Tactical Tracking Teams” is about teamwork and it should be required reading for any K9 handler – regardless of experience – who tracks fugitives with a police dog because doing so is arguably the most dangerous job in law enforcement today and a tracking team must be prepared to safely face the challenges as a team to reduce risk and be successful with the mission.
This book will benefit everyone involved with the tracking team – including handlers, cover officers, supervisors, perimeter personnel, operational commanders and other support personnel. High risk trailing is a team operation – no matter if conducted by an assigned tactical tracking team or a hastily-assembled patrol team.
Realistic recommendations and practical guidelines to assist your team’s planning and preparation for the fugitive hunt are located in “Tactical Tracking Teams” with chapters on tactical support, team movement, training, and equipment. The chapter on “proximity alert” is well worth studying and the ability to read this alert with proper training may save the lives of handlers and team members one day.
“Tactical Tracking Teams” is not a “this is my way, this is the only way” instructional text book. Jeff has made some mistakes – many, according to him – and he’s lucky to be alive based on a few of his exploits while learning on-the-job as he followed many a trail hunting fugitives. However, as he admits, his mistakes have made him a better trainer and his lessons learned as a former handler and current trainer are readily and openly shared in this book.

Everyone on the team may not be able to attend a training course on tactical tracking team operations with Jeff Schettler in the near future – but each team member can take advantage of his experience and lessons learned by reading “Tactical Tracking Teams.” –Sergeant Bill Lewis II (Retired)

Filed Under: Blog, Book Reviews

Service Dog Gus GAK9NTC

December 18, 2012 by

Gus & Kelli GAK9NTCA small part of our company profile but the biggest from a satisfaction standpoint is our work with service dogs for kids with disabilities. We select a very few special dogs per year to work with for a few very special children.  Our Service dog program is very unique in that we select pure breed pups from specially selected litters for this work. Not all dogs are created equal for this task and we take extra effort to select only the most suitable. The work does not stop here and the program usually lasts for over a year.  Please click the link if you would like to see more of Gus!

 

 

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Tactical Tracking Proximity Alerts – Learn and Live

December 6, 2012 by

NEW COURSE! “If you can read proximity alerts and you become a good handler with a good dog, proximity will save your life, your dog’s, or that of another person one day.” This course will be presented by the author of “K-9 Trailing: The Straightest Path” and will address the importance of “proximity alerts” and how they directly relate to high risk tracking and trailing manhunts utilizing a patrol or tactical team in support. The presentation will focus on the four critical phases of high risk tracking using a police dog: training, mindset, proximity alerts, and deployment. PATROL TRACK. Recommended for patrol/SWAT handlers, supervisors and instructors.

Bio:

Jeff Schettler is a retired police K9 handler who worked for the City of Alameda and County of Amador in California and was attached to the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Teams’ K9 Assistance Program for two years. This program was designed to locate and apprehend high-risk fugitives on the run.  Jeff has worked hundreds of trailing cases across the USA and is a specialist in the areas of tactical tracking applications.  His work has been seen on CNN, ABC, CBS, Unsolved Mysteries, and Mythbusters. He is considered an expert witness in tracking/ trailing. Jeff is the author of four books on K9 Tracking Work published by Alpine Publications.

Publications:
Red Dog Rising- A K9 Tracking Autobiography
K9 Trailing; The Straightest Path Book 1- A primer on starting a K9 team on human scent discrimination and trailing work.
K9 Trailing; Tactical Tracker Teams Book 3 – A practical guide to surviving high risk fugitive manhunts.
K9 Trailing; Advanced Urban Book 2 – Working a trailing/ tracking dog in the concrete jungle. (forthcoming)

 

Tactical Tracking Coverfire

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