We weren’t playing favorites and you are not seeing double… It just came out that way. Chico, California Police Department’s K9 Bak, took top dog honors this year at the 19th annual Metro K9 Trials. I chose his 2008 photo to use for our post announcing the event. And here he is again with his handler Brett Smith at this year’s event.
It wasn’t an easy competition to win. He went up against 39 other dogs from various states including Baja, Mexico. It was a tough crowd to beat, but Bak is used to being the top dog. If you Google his name, you will see that he and Smith have finished top in their class in several regional K9 trials.
Not only was the competition tougher, but the audience to cheer them all on was larger than previous years. Being a free event, they really did not have an accurate count, but looking into the stands, I would say the Orleans Arena was about a third full. So about 1,000 fans give or take, were there. And that put a smile on everyone’s face.
Watching these trials gives you a new respect for law enforcement. It’s not easy being a police dog or the handler of one. You also see how invaluable a k9 unit is to a city or an organization. We also learned that a lot of the expenses related to caring for a k9 officer is NOT paid for by their department, but by the officers themselves. So one of the missions of these events is to raise funds for their care. Hint, Hint… Donations are always welcomed….
The PA wrote a beautiful piece on this year’s K9 Trials and what it takes to become a top dog (K9 Trials) .
Go Ahead, Stalk Us