Episode 166: PSA with Ben Lepinski
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Episode 165: “I was on the RAID Team” with Tara Lee
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Your Working Dog Radio hosts, Eric @vanessk9 & Ted @ted_summers, sit down with former K9 handler, Coast Guard reservist, OIF/OEF Veteran, and owner of Ridgeside K9 Summerville, Tara Lee.
The gents chat with Ms. Lee about her early military career as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army (‘05-‘09) with a deployment to Iraq in 2006-2007, and then becoming an officer in the Coast Guard (‘09-‘11).
The hosts then learn about how Lee got into law enforcement with Arlington County Police Department in Virginia (‘11-‘15), while still remaining in the USCG reserves and deploying to Afghanistan in 2014.
Lee then moved to South Carolina and started with the Summerville Police Department. In 2016, Lee was selected as a K9 handler and was paired with Apart. In early 2017, their K-9 unit supervisor left law enforcement and Lee was selected as his replacement. She held that position until she left in July of 2021, (but not before she was on Live PD!).
In December 2021, Lee officially opened her pet dog business, Ridgeside K9 Summerville, SC. The hosts chat with Lee about the freedoms that has brought her.
Be sure to follow this badass @belles619_k9apart, and keep up with everything she’s doing now!
𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗦𝗘, thank you to our amazing partners:
@KineticDogFood
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Highland Canine Training Online Police K9 Supervisor course
This course discusses topics such as proper selection of dogs & handlers, proper deployment, effective allocation and utilization as well as liability and FLSA issues. This course can be taken at their convenience. They will receive a certificate of completion at the end.
Visit the link below under the training tab!
http://tacticalpolicek9trainin
30% off with the discount code WDR30
@americanaluminumaccessories
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@rayallenk9
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WORKINGDOGRADIO 10% off
@dogtraofficial
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WDR10 10% off of a single item over $200
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“WDRADIO” 10% off
Music by @brotherdege
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Episode 164: Rock you like a Hurricane, with Secret Service Officer Marshall Mirarchi
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We are honored to be joined AGAIN by former Secret Service Officer Marshall Mirarchi . In case you need a reminder, Mirarchi previously joined us in Episode 107. In that episode, listeners take a peek behind the curtain with us Hear the process of becoming a Secret Service agent (and what baseball has to do with learning marksmanship ), joining Special Ops – Emergency Response Team, to the K9 class, what it’s like on the job handling a dog of this caliber, and what K9 Hurricane has been up to in his retirement.
Mirarchi and K9 Hurricane have had quite the career. Mirarchi was a USSS agent for over a decade, and with K9 Hurricane the pair has received many awards; DHS Award for Valor, USSS Award for Merit, AMC Top Dog Award, PDSA Order of Merit, to name a few! They recently were awarded Animals in War and Peace Distinguished Service medal.
In this episode, they joined us to talk about his foundation, Hurricane’s Heroes, and they are making quite the impact in the working dog community by helping these heroes. Typically, when a working dog retires, all of the day-to-day care and medical bills become the handler’s responsibility. Occasionally, the handlers are not able to fulfill this financial obligation in its entirety. This results in the canines not being able to get the medical care they deserve, especially in their later years when it comes to prolonging their lives as long as possible. To ensure these heroes live a long and happy retirement, Hurricane’s Heros wants to remove the burden from the handlers and let their job simply be to give their partners the best life possible. After years of service, these working dogs deserve to have long and enjoyable retirements, as “just” dogs.
We cannot thank Mirarchi enough for joining us on this awesome episode! Go follow Mirarchi and his amazing volunteer-run non-profit organization at @K9Hurricane. If you can, please donate to help support their mission of providing subsidized veterinary care to retired law enforcement and military dogs at K9hurricanesheroes.org!
𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗦𝗘, thank you to our amazing partners:
@KineticDogFood
kineticdogfood.com
Highland Canine Training Online Police K9 Supervisor course
This course discusses topics such as proper selection of dogs & handlers, proper deployment, effective allocation and utilization as well as liability and FLSA issues. This course can be taken at their convenience. They will receive a certificate of completion at the end.
Visit the link below under the training tab!
http://tacticalpolicek9training.com/
30% off with the discount code WDR30
@americanaluminumaccessories
https://ezrideronline.com
Toll Free#: 800.277.0869
quotes@aaa-mail.com
@horizonstructures
horizonstructures.com/commercial-dog-kennels
@rayallenk9
rayallen.com
WORKINGDOGRADIO 10% off
@dogtraofficial
dogtra.com
WDR10 10% off of a single item over $200
@hits_k9 Training & Conference
hitsk9.net
@almk9equipment
almk9equipment.com
“WDRADIO” 10% off
Music by @brotherdege
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Episode 163: After the FBI Badge with Sonja Nordstrom
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Your Working Dog Radio hosts, Eric @vanessk9 & Ted @ted_summers, sit down with retired FBI Special Agent and all around K9 badass, Sonja Nordstrom.
Nordstrom served in the FBI as a Special Agent for over two decades. In addition to hunting bad guys, Nordstrom joined a volunteer K9 SAR team and progressed through the ranks as a handler, trainer, and evaluator. She has also earned her Detector Dog Trainer’s Certification from VLK, and has provided Detection K9 training to LE, Professional, and Volunteer K9 teams and lectures hundreds of LE regarding the use of K9s in homicide investigations.
Through the years, Sonja has completed thousands of hours of training under nationally recognized LE, SAR, and sport K9 trainers and experts, was Secretary of the Los Angeles County Police Canine Association, attained local and national level search dog certifications, and has trained and competed in the K9 sports of Schutzhund, Mondioring, and French Ring. While stationed in Los Angeles, Nordstrom deployed with her Human Remains Detection K9s for the FBI Evidence Response Team (ERT) and CARDA (California Rescue Dog Association) throughout California, the Western United States, Mexico, the Middle East, and to the Pentagon after 9/11. Nordstrom is currently fielding with her fifth HRD K9, is the lead trainer and President of a volunteer K9 SAR Team in Utah, and has completed hundreds of field missions including several deployments to Europe to assist in locating WWII MIAs.
In 2014, after retiring from the FBI, Nordstrom opened Sonja’s Dog Training, LLC, providing training for pet dogs and also specialized training in detection and scent work for LE, SAR, and pet dog handlers. She is also a UKC Nosework and AKC Scentwork Judge. Most recently, Nordstrom has formed American Tactical Aggregate K-9 in collaboration with Steve “Zane” Stoops and several other top tier LE and Military CAD Trainers and Handlers. Nordstrom is also a host of the podcast K9 Top Tales, which features stories of K9 warriors, crime fighters, protectors, and rescuers as told by their Law Enforcement, Military, and Search & Rescue Handlers and Partners.
Nordstrom has been a regular badass in her career, and after the badge. If you’re looking for some inspiration, some training tips, go to see what she’s up to now, be sure to follow her podcast:
K9 Top Tales https://anchor.fm/k9-top-tales
IG @ k9_top_tales https://www.instagram.com/k9_top_tales
FB @k9toptales https://www.facebook.com/k9toptales
American Tactical Aggregate K-9 with Steve Stoops:
website: atak9.com
IG @ata.k9 https://www.instagram.com/ata.k9
FB @aggregatek9 https://www.facebook.com/aggregatek9
𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗦𝗘, thank you to our amazing partners:
@KineticDogFood
kineticdogfood.com
Highland Canine Training Online Police K9 Supervisor course
This course discusses topics such as proper selection of dogs & handlers, proper deployment, effective allocation and utilization as well as liability and FLSA issues. This course can be taken at their convenience. They will receive a certificate of completion at the end.
Visit the link below under the training tab!
http://tacticalpolicek9training.com/
30% off with the discount code WDR30
@horizonstructures
horizonstructures.com/commercial-dog-kennels
@rayallenk9
rayallen.com
WORKINGDOGRADIO 10% off
@dogtraofficial
dogtra.com
WDR10 10% off of a single item over $200
@hits_k9 Training & Conference
hitsk9.net
@almk9equipment
almk9equipment.com
“WDRADIO” 10% off
Music by @brotherdege
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Episode 162: The Difference Between Cocaine and Quail with Ken Licklider
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Episode 161: Filling the Gap with Jason Johnson @ProjectK9Hero
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Your Working Dog Radio hosts, Eric @vanessk9 & Ted @ted_summers, sit down with former adjunct professor, former ATF K9 Trainer & Instructor, former DHS Field Canine Coordinator, the CEO of Project K9 Hero, the CEO of Paradigm Defense Concepts, the CEO of K-9 Solutions International, published author, and Johnny A. Masengale Memorial Award recipient; Jason Johnson @projectk9hero
It’s fair to say, Johnson’s resume speaks for itself; as a nationally recognized subject matter expert in scent detection and K9 procurement, the man is a bit of a legend in the Explosives field. (Be sure to check out the projects he’s currently working on at the end of the post!)
Johnson started as a police K9 handler and trainer, a member of SWAT, a Defensive Tactics Instructor, a Field Training Officer and the Officer in Charge of the Honor Guard. Johnson honorably served in the US Army as a Military Police Officer, and served as an Explosive Detection K9 Handler, Trainer, Kennel Master and Protective Security Specialist for the U.S. Department of State in support of the Worldwide Personal Protection Services contract with U.S. Diplomatic Security throughout Iraq and Afghanistan.
Johnson was then a K9 Trainer/Instructor and Course Developer for ATF. He planned, developed and was the Lead Instructor for Explosive Detection Courses to a variety of domestic and International Federal Agents, LE and US Military. He trained, instructed and certified students in multiple federal agencies such as ATF, US Marshals, FBI, CIA, National Geospatial Intelligence, DHS/Federal Emergency Management Agency and many others working specifically in explosives detection. He worked with the MWD program, training over 1,000 MWDs. He was also involved in developing and instructing the agency’s first off leash detection program, SEEK (Search Enhanced Evidence K-9), and the agency’s first SRT dual purpose patrol/explosives detection canine. He instructed explosive detection canine courses for the US Department of State’s Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program.
Johnson then served as a Field Canine Coordinator for DHS, and is actively working with Congress to see that his vision of the K9 Hero Act, HR #5081, gets passed as a law to bring a positive change to the K9 Community for generations to follow.
Be sure to check out his current projects:
👉Project K9 Hero
https://projectk9hero.org/pages/about-us
👉Building our Project K9 Hero Rehabilitation and Rehoming Facility
👉The K9 Hero Awards airing this spring on GAC Family
👉Re-Introducing the K9 Hero Act to Congress for a second time
𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗦𝗘, thank you to our amazing partners:
@KineticDogFood
kineticdogfood.com
Highland Canine Training Online Police K9 Supervisor course
This course discusses topics such as proper selection of dogs & handlers, proper deployment, effective allocation and utilization as well as liability and FLSA issues. This course can be taken at their convenience. They will receive a certificate of completion at the end.
Visit the link below under the training tab!
http://tacticalpolicek9training.com/
30% off with the discount code WDR30
@horizonstructures
horizonstructures.com/commercial-dog-kennels
@rayallenk9
rayallen.com
WORKINGDOGRADIO 10% off
@dogtraofficial
dogtra.com
WDR10 10% off of a single item over $200
@hits_k9 Training & Conference
hitsk9.net
@almk9equipment
almk9equipment.com
“WDRADIO” 10% off
Music by @brotherdege
brotherdege.net
Episode 160: I am NOT a bat enthusiast!
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Your Working Dog Radio hosts, Eric @vanessk9 & Ted @ted_summers, sit down AGAIN with Retired Police K9 Sgt., and now Wildlife Detection Dog Handler, Frank Ritter. @fritter11
Ritter has 24 years of Law Enforcement experience, and joined us for episode 12, discussing his role as a K9 Unit Supervisor, and the tragic event that took two of his pack members, and episode 82, discussing the aftermath of unexpected incidents ending in the deaths of K9s. Now, in his retirement, (and after a well-deserved break!), Ritter is working four detection dogs, searching for bat and bird fatalities at windfarms in northern California for an environmental consulting company. The gents talked about how Ritter got into conservation dog handling, how rewarding it is, and how there are opportunities out there for guys who have retired out of K9.
𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗦𝗘, thank you to our amazing partners:
@KineticDogFood
kineticdogfood.com
Highland Canine Training Online Police K9 Supervisor course
This course discusses topics such as proper selection of dogs & handlers, proper deployment, effective allocation and utilization as well as liability and FLSA issues.
Visit the link below under the training tab!
http://tacticalpolicek9training.com/
30% off with the discount code WDR30
@horizonstructures
horizonstructures.com/commercial-dog-kennels
@rayallenk9
rayallen.com
WORKINGDOGRADIO 10% off
@dogtraofficial
dogtra.com
WDR10 10% off of a single item over $200
@hits_k9 Training & Conference
hitsk9.net
@almk9equipment
almk9equipment.com
“WDRADIO” 10% off
Music by @brotherdege
brotherdege.net
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