CHILI, NY (ROCHESTER) — There are 12 K-9’s within the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and all continue to improve. “Day in and day out, going through the training,” said Sergeant Ken Weber of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, “Teaching him the obedience, the tracking, the bite work.” 

Weber has been with his K-9 Dano for seven years. “Probably the hardest four months I’ve been in the sheriff’s department was the four months I was dedicated going to school with him, but it was probably the most fun four months.” 

The training was once done on old rotted wood. Now they have a new facility for new encounters. “You never know what you’re going to encounter and to always have a reliable place to train, it means a lot to have that.” 

Certain simulations are in the training facility, like jumping over a fence or into a window are done. Also moving into small spaces is important. “Looking for a missing child that may have autism,” said Sheriff Todd Baxter, showing examples of why dogs are needed, “That crawled into a dark space to find security underneath a porch or culvert.” 

Burglary calls, bomb detection, and countless other scenarios could arise where a dog would be needed.  This training facility can be used by more than just the sheriff’s office. 

It will also be available to other departments in the area for training and testing. The course was paid for by donations from Crime Stoppers and the O’Brien family in memory of Kade O’Brien, a Honeoye Falls resident that died in a motorcycle accident. He one day wanted to become part of the Monroe County K-9 unit. 

Home Depot, Country Max, and Penfield Trophies all also made donations to get this operation together.