K-9 dogs strut their stuff

By: BRIAN ECKHOUSE - Staff Writer | Saturday, November 4, 2006 11:24 PM PST ∞

TEMECULA ---- Blake Hearstfield giggled Saturday afternoon as he pondered the seemingly bipolar nature of police K-9s.

"Sometimes they're cute, and sometimes they're mean," said Blake, 10, of Temecula. "They're just really cool."

That was a sentiment shared by dozens of children and adolescents who attended the eleventh annual Riverside County Sheriff's Department K-9 Trials.

Angel Santistevan, 4, of Hemet burst out in laughter as one K-9 mistakenly jumped a deputy sniper lying chest-down on the ground ---- instead of a man posing as an antagonizing burglar.

The object of the protection exercise was to attack the aggressor, said Sgt. Mike Lind of the Cabazon station, who organized the Saturday event at James Day Middle School in Temecula.

"The best dog won't back down," Lind said.

Even the ones that seem the friendliest can change abruptly. "A dog is black or white," Lind said. "Some of the dogs can be real friendly one second, then very different the next if you're aggressive to them."

Christian Manley, 10, was wowed by the K-9s' intensity ---- particularly when antagonized.

"They look cool in their muzzles, so you can see their eyes ---- which are black and focused," said Christian, who lives outside Laguna Niguel.

Saturday, 32 canines from across the Southwest ---- but mostly from Southern California ---- competed in a variety of contests, including building and box searches, as well as agility and obedience demonstrations ---- and at no cost for the crowd of a few hundred.

Zeke, a K-9 based with a San Bernardino unit, dazzled the crowd of a few hundred by launching into a sprint, leaping and ---- without yet touching the ground ---- clenching the heavily padded jacket of a "bad guy" with his teeth to knock him over. A loud ovation celebrated the accomplishment.

Besides determining which are the most technically skilled dogs, the intent of the trials was to show the visitors that the animals are not always ferocious, as Blake identified, and their patrol role.

"The dogs are a tool," Lind said. "You'll have situations where dogs have a better sense than humans ---- their hearing is better ---- whereas it could take several officers to do the same things methodically."

Along with the K-9 competition Saturday, the city of Temecula sponsored a safety fair. Several booths and demonstrations were lined up in the school's parking lot.

Contact staff writer Brian Eckhouse at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2626, or beckhouse@californian.com.

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