By Alaa Elassar, CNN
Hansel the pitbull is believed to be the first arson detection K9 in the country.
(CNN)A New Jersey fire department’s pit bull just became the first of its breed to become an arson detection K9 officer.Hansel, a 4-year-old pup known for his cheerful energy and constant kisses, graduated from training on Friday, officially becoming a member of the Millville Fire Department.”He’s extremely excited,” Tyler Van Leer, a Millville firefighter and Hansel’s handler, told CNN. “Whenever I ask him, ‘Are you ready to go to work?’ and bring out the harness, he starts doing laps around the crate.”
Rescued from a dogfighting ring
Hansel was rescued from a dogfighting ring in Ontario, Canada, when he was only 7 weeks old.A global campaign called #Savethe21 was created to fight against the euthanization of the 21 dog fighters, including Hansel’s mom, who were rescued from that ring.Five of the rescued dogs, including Hansel and his sister Gretel, were later taken to Throw Away Dogs Project, a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia that rescues “unique” dogs and trains them to become K9s all over the country.If Hansel hadn’t been rescued, he and his sister would have also become dog fighters, Carol Skaziak, the founder of Throw Away Dogs, told CNN.
Hansel is paving the way for other pit bulls
In addition to being a very good boy, Hansel is making history, according to Skaziak.”I am 100% sure Hansel is the first pit bull arson detection dog in New Jersey,” Skaziak told CNN. “I have done so much research and I don’t believe there are any other pit bull arson detection dogs in the entire country. I have not found any others.”CNN could not independently confirm that Hansel is the first pit bull to hold the position.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/19/us/pit-bull-arson-detection-k9-first-trnd/index.html