North Carolina K-9s practice tracking explosives at A-B Tech Training Center
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WOODFIN, N.C. (WLOS) — K-9s and their handlers from all over the state trained with the FBI on Wednesday at the A-B Tech Training Center in Woodfin.
Federal agents were needed because this training is very specific and important for bomb dogs, like K-9 Aron from Buncombe County, to learn.
“He’s a 2-year-old German Shepherd,” Deputy Stanley Murray, of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, said.
Murray and K-9 Aron are partners.
“He lives at home with me everyday,” Murray said. “It’s just like having my own child.”
And much like any relationship, it takes time and effort for things to click.
That’s one of the reasons the two worked on their training with the FBI on Wednesday.
“It’s an awesome opportunity,” Murray said.
“We have the ability to bring in different types of explosives that have been used in crimes around the world,” FBI Public Information Officer Shelley Lynch said.
It’s important for all of the bomb dogs to sniff those out.
“We’re really teaching the dog, from the bottom up, a new odor and imprinting the dog on the new odor,” Sgt. Dustan Auldredge, of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, said.
Auldredge supervises the K-9 unit for the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.
He said K-9s and their handlers train all the time, but training specifically with the FBI in this setting is pretty unique.
“This particular type of explosive is highly volatile and if not handled with caution would explode,” Auldredge said.
It’s why the FBI needed to be there.
“Unfortunately, in the world we live in today, there are people who are taking different materials and they have nefarious plans in mind,” Lynch added.
So, for all the dogs, it’s important to stay prepared.
“There are several times a month, for different events, like concerts, venues, political events, that we get requests to search a building or vehicles,” Auldredge said.
But, they never know for sure when that time will come. Which is why Murray and K-9 Aron must always be on top of their game.
“Thankful to everybody that was able to make this happen,” Murray said.
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