FOURTH PLACE: Whakatane police dog handler Senior Constable Dave Robison and Isaac finished fourth in this year’s national police dog championships. This photo of the pair was taken after they won the title in 2015. File photo D2155-12
WHAKATANE police dog handler Senior Constable Dave Robison and his canine partner Isaac could not make it two years in a row.
Mr Robison and Isaac were the nation’s top patrol team in 2015 but this week placed fourth at the National Police Dog and Detector Dog Championships, held in the Hutt Valley and Wairarapa this week.
They were up against 10 teams from around the country and faced challenging tracks, obedience, heelwork, criminal work and building searches.
The three days of intensive competition in the greater Wellington region ended on Wednesday.
The patrol dog winners this year are Waikato Senior Constable Blair Spalding and patrol dog Rush.
They graduated as an operational team from the Police Dog Training College just three months ago, and at two years old, Rush is the youngest dog to win the national championship.
Police dog national co-ordinator Inspector Todd Southall praised the skills, focus and calibre of all teams as they were put through a variety of tasks based on their day-to-day working environment.
“This week’s championships highlight the excellent operational performance and international recognition of New Zealand’s enforcement dog teams,” he said.