Doggone: Luke third
Senior Constable Shane Durston and Luke came third at the National Police Patrol and Detector Dog Championships competing against other top dogs held near Upper Hutt.
After joining the police dog squad Senior Constable Shane Durston made a bucket list of things he wanted to achieve and he’s happy to tick one off.
Durston and his dog Luke came third at the National Police Patrol and Detector Dog Championships, in which New Zealand’s top dogs and handlers come together for three days of fierce competition. To get to the national event, held near Upper Hutt, the duo first had to beat 13 other police dogs at a regional competition, competing against dogs from New Plymouth, Whanganui and Palmerston North.
The competition involved a range of activities, which included obedience, agility, building search, and tracking tasks.
Durston said everything they did at nationals were things they would do normally for training, just made slightly more difficult.
‘‘Any dog can win it really, it’s a different environment. The heel walk that was in long grass, so little variations that make it more difficult.’’
Luke has been paired with Durston for 14 months and is four years old.
He is also part of the Armed Offenders Squad and received a certificate of excellence in his last trials in April.
Durston said Luke did really well in the building search, which was a complex scenario.
It had always been a bucket list item for Durston to get to the national competition and he was pleased to have made it after 17 years in the dog section.
‘‘I was chuffed to be there.’’ National police dogs coordinator Inspector Todd Southall said the standard across all the championship categories was very high.