Get a behind-the-scenes look at the State Farm® Arson Dog program in “Arson Dogs,” a new web series by celebrity dog trainer Victoria Stilwell. Stilwell, host of “It’s Me or the Dog” on Animal Planet, steps outside her comfort zone of domestic pet training to follow a class of human and canine recruits undergoing intense training to become world-class fire scene investigative teams. The series explores the experiences of the three-person training team, eight young arson dogs in training and eight handlers from all over the United States. Stilwell also steps in as a surrogate trainee, getting an up-close view of the high-stakes pressure experienced by the recruits. Upon their graduation, she follows a few of the dog/handler teams back to their communities to watch them work in real life situations. The first two episodes of the 12-part web series premiered earlier this month on Stilwell’s YouTube channel and on Positively. A new episode is scheduled each week. “Like most people, I did not know too much about what arson dogs did or how they worked, but witnessing the awesome power of these amazing dogs’ sense of smell and watching the strength of the bond and level of communication between the handler and dog was truly inspiring,” Stilwell said. Despite the fact that billions of dollars in property and hundreds of lives are lost as a result of intentionally set fires each year, arson remains a difficult crime to investigate and prosecute because of the lack of resources local law enforcement have at their disposal. To help arson investigators gather evidence at fire scenes, State Farm became the only company in North America to sponsor a training program for arson dogs and handlers more than two decades ago. “We’re incredibly proud to have developed and maintained this unique program since 1993,” arson dog program coordinator Heather Paul said. “To date, the State Farm Arson Dog Program has placed nearly 350 teams across North America. We are excited that Victoria Stilwell and her Positively team chose to profile our arson dog training program to launch her new online platform.”
Posted on: Wed, 27 Aug 2014 16:09:12 +0000
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