METRO K-9 Team Wins Top Awards

METRO’s four-legged officers dutifully sniffed their way to the top of the podium at the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association’s (NNDDA) regional competition last month, adding four more awards to their list of accolades.

METRO’s K-9 Unit competed against 70 canine teams in Angleton, TX on Friday, Jan. 30, 2009.

The power duo of Officer Ted Armstrong and his dog Missy won three honors: First Place in Patrol, First Place in Explosives and the coveted Top Dog Team Award.

“It just happened to be mine and Missy’s day that day,” said Armstrong.  “We just happened to be on. She was very quick, very fluid searching all the boxes and desk drawers. She was on the money.”

Armstrong and Missy have been partners since August 2005.

Officer Chris Obenland and his dog Shadow placed third in the Patrol competition, which tests obedience and suspect apprehension skills.

“Our dogs are phenomenal. We constantly get compliments by the instructors about how sharp our dogs are and how good they are each year. They improve each year,” said Obenland.

Last year, METRO’s K-9 Unit won first and second place in the Patrol competition.

To keep these four-legged officers in tip-top shape, the dogs receive about seven hours of training each week.

METRO’s K-9 Unit was established in 1998 with one narcotics dog and now has eight canines on the force; three specializing in narcotics detection and five in explosives.

Click here to see the award-winning officer, Missy and Shadow, in action.