K-9 training at businesses
Published 7:00 am Wednesday, August 27, 2014
HONING SKILLS: Kristi Boyd with the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department is a K-9 handler. Tuesday she and other handlers with the department used a local business as a training ground.
Photo by Jeremy Pittari
Cooperation from local business owners helps to not only build a familiarity with the layout of the business, but helps keep deputies and their K-9 partners in prime condition.
Tuesday morning M&M Industries in McNeill was the site for some K-9 training as part of a partnership between business owner Joey McClinton and the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department.
Cpl. Brian Anthony is a K-9 handler with the department, and approached McClinton about using his business as training grounds to conduct mock searches and also to see about acquiring donations to help keep the K-9 division staffed with young dogs. McClinton was the first to offer his business for training purposes.
Anthony said two of the division’s dogs have already retired, and the two remaining ones are approaching retirement age.
Tight budgets are prompting the department to seek public donations to help the department purchase younger dogs and provide for their training.
“If we don’t think about the future we won’t have any,” Anthony said.
When McClinton was approached about the use of his building for training, he jumped at the chance to help, Anthony said.
McClinton said he is even willing to donate a sign to any business that will participate with the training exercises. He does this because of the working relationship he has with the department, and because he wants to help prevent the spread of drug abuse in the county.
On a regular basis deputies check on local businesses, and McClinton said that practice has saved him some trouble in the past. He said after deputies check his buildings, they leave a note to record the time and date of the check, and if anything was found to be out of the ordinary. One time the deputy found an unlocked door, and took the time to lock it before moving on with his patrol, McClinton said.
“It’s just nice to know they’re stopping, checking and looking out for everything,” McClinton said.
Any business that would like to donate to the K-9 division, or offer their location for training, can call the department at 601-749-7700 or 601-403-2300.
