O’Fallon officer and canine partner win ‘Top Dog’ title

An O’Fallon, Mo., team has garnered the title of “Top Dog” in a competition held in O’Fallon,Ill.

On June 8 through June10, Police Officer Thomas Thompson and his canine partner Ares from the O’Fallon, Mo. Police Department participated in the United States Police Canine Association Patrol Dog Trial and Certification.

The event was held in O’Fallon, Ill., where canine teams fromIllinoisandMissouriparticipated. In order to certify, the canine teams had to pass a series of rigorous tests in the areas of obedience, evidence recovery, suspect scent detection, agility, and suspect apprehension. All of the phases of the certification were conducted without a leash, which required Thompson to display complete control of Ares during all series of the competition.

Thanks to Thompson and Ares’ high degree of skills throughout all phases of the competition, the team earned the title of “Top Dog” or the first place ranking as the number one police patrol dog for the United States Police Canine Association- Region 16.

“The O’Fallon Police Department has a long history of earning the title of the Top Dog for police patrol dogs, and we are all very proud of Officer Thompson and his partner Ares for their accomplishment in continuing this rich tradition,” said Police Chief Roy Joachimstaler.