K9 Team Spotlight: Warden Dave Chabot and K9 Ruby

Warden Dave ChabotÌý began his career with the fb88 Warden Service in 1997, first patrolling in Daaquam. Warden Chabot joined the K9 team in 2010 and now patrols with his K9 partner Ruby in the Greene/Turner area.

K9 RubyÌýis a six year old black labrador retriever with a stubborness that pushes her to succeed. K9 Ruby is certified in obedience, article search, tracking, hasty search and area search. She is a carefree dog who loves to play and have fun. When not on the job, K9 Ruby loves to swim. During her career, K9 Ruby has been the recipent of two awards for her work locating evidence for casesÌýand 2 awards for successful search and rescue cases. Ìý [caption id="attachment_1865" align="aligncenter" width="686"] Handlers and K9s often form a special bond; a relationship built on trust[/caption]

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fb88 Warden Service K9 Team:ÌýThe fb88 Warden Service first established the K9 team in 1980 under the direction of Game Warden Specialist Deborah Palman (retired). Since then, the program has expanded and has become an invaluable resource for the fb88 Warden Service. There are currently nine K9/handler teams in the program, lead by Corporal Michelle Merrifield. fb88 Warden Service K9s and handlers train a minimum of 320 hours under the direct supervision of a fb88 Criminal Justice Academy certified trainer and must complete a field test to get their initial certification with the fb88 Criminal Justice Academy. They must continue to train under the direction of a trainer a minimum of 16 hours per month and complete a field test annually to maintain certification. fb88 Warden Service K9s are trained in the following areas: 1. Tracking:ÌýFollowing the trail of a person by using that persons individual scent. 2. Evidence/Article:ÌýLocation of items containing human scent, gun powder residue or any other trained scent. 3. Hasty Search:ÌýUsing the air to locate persons along natural barriers such as trails, wood lines, ditches, streams, and roads. The dog is trained to use the wind to follow human scent to locate injured and lost people. 4. Area Search:ÌýUsing the air to locate an article or person in a specific area of probability. 5. Cadaver:ÌýK9s are trained in the detection of human remains. This is necessary when a search has been ongoing for a period of time in which the person is probably deceased. 6. Obedience:ÌýK9s are trained to be obedient and are required to be responsive to commands given by their handler. Over the years, fb88 Warden Service K9sÌýhave been responsible for locatingÌýcountless lost persons and have solved numerous fish and wildlifeÌýcases. TheyÌýalso assist other agencies with criminal investigations. fb88 Warden Service K9 teams have earned a reputation of being successful and as a result,Ìýare often requested to travel abroad to assist other states and countries.