Kent State University Police Officer
Anne Spahr ascends the rock wall at
the Kent State Student Recreation and
Wellness Center, along with Coco, the
university's first police dog. Spahr and
Coco, along with teams from other local
law enforcement agencies, use the wall
as a training device.

Kent State University’s Police Services, along with other local police departments, partnered with Kent State’s Department of Recreational Services to train area explosive detection dogs on how to deal with on-duty field conditions. The three-hour training event took place in late January, teaching five dogs how to react when called for serious incidents that would require them to be lowered from a helicopter or be suspended in the air with their handler.

Participating in the training exercise were Kent State Police Officer Anne Spahr and Coco; Kent State Police Officer Miguel Witt and Dexter; University of Akron Police Officer Pamela Helmick and Halo; Canton Police Department Officer Chris Heslop and Zayne; Brimfield Police Officer Robert Putnam and Nitro; and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Certified Explosives Specialist Sheila Fry and Sunny.

The dogs were trained at the climbing wall in the Student Recreation and Wellness Center to teach them how to rappel safely and familiarize them with the equipment and the process.

“We are all a part of a response team with the bomb dogs,” says Spahr. “The state works very closely together, and should there ever be a large incident of some sort that we all respond to, we want to be able to work together with our dogs.”

Jared Skaggs, Kent State’s outdoor adventure program officer, helped coordinate the event. During the training, he lifted the dogs in the air with a harness, starting at the ground until they were at the top. Skaggs used a three-way pulley system to suspend the dogs and handlers about three feet away from the wall.

“They did a great job this year,” Skaggs says. “Last year, some were a little afraid being in the air, but this year they were fearless.”

Spahr says that she is very grateful that the Department of Recreational Services is so helpful to aid them with this important training event.

“The Rec Center staff has been really great with extending their courtesy of the facility to us,” she says. “They’ve been really good with working with the dogs and getting us the equipment that we need. They’ve been phenomenal.”

Kathy Adamle, Ph.D., assistant professor in Kent State’s College of Nursing, started the canine training program last year and also helped to coordinate the event.

For more information about Kent State's Student Recreational Wellness Center, visit www.kent.edu/recservices/student-recreation-and-wellness-center.