The Greensburg Fire Department Bloodhound Team officially has 50 years under its belt.
And to celebrate, the organization sent eight handlers and six dogs to the National Police Bloodhound Association’s 40 hour training and certification seminar.
Founded in 1969 by former Fire Chief J. Edward Hutchinson, the team started out with 12 volunteer firefighters and two dogs. Now, handlers are responsible for establishing a relationship with their dogs and making the commitment to spend time with their animals to train them and ensure their health. Handlers are also encouraged to attend the annual seminar.
The six bloodhounds — Sophy, Lucy, Delphie, Eddie, Sadie and Darcy — spent the six-day seminar training alongside more than 40 other handlers and hound teams from 19 states and Germany. The training consists of eight hours of classroom time and 32 hours of field training and evaluation, with guidance from an experienced law enforcement handler or instructor.
“Sophy, who just turned nine … got the opportunity to occasionally run a trail here and there just to show the younger dog (Darcy), she still has what it takes to be a successful man trailer,” Lou Battistella, team commander for the fire department, said in a release.
This year, 13-year-old Greensburg Junior-420 Fire Department member Brett Steele also joined the group and helped the instructor lay trails and lead one of the Greensburg hounds.
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