The Presentation
File footage of Boots with Jim and Glori Slater in 2007.
Est. Read Time: 10 Mins.
Explain it to them like they are five.
This is my final thought as my brother, Jeff, and I arrived at our destination. I could feel my heartbeat gradually starting to climb as my body prepared itself for the ensuing presentation we were about to give. In the back seat, Boots, our black and white Border Collie, looked sharp in demo equipment – A Patrol Swat Vest, ID Collar, and 6 ft. Black Mil. Spec Leash that was embroidered with POLICE.
Border Collies are known for their intelligence. Although he did not look even remotely close to a Police Dog, Boots made up for it in presentations by knowing how to work an audience. He had mastered communication using his eyes and made you believe he was truly part human. His mangy and untamable fur, courtesy of his supposed spaniel side, gave him favor with the ladies because he was, in a word, cute. His favorite self-taught trick was sitting in front of someone and raising either one or both of his paws to sit perfectly perched like a parrot.
Jeff parked the car and the three of us walked inside a large stone and glass building just in time for our meeting. The receptionist at the front desk signed us in, making sure we had the proper visitor credentials. Before the ink could even dry on the forms, Boots was swarmed by other staff members and he was already pulling out all the stops.
“Oh, my goodness! Look! He’s got one paw raised!”
Classic, I thought as I silently chuckled. Boots may have been there for the demonstration, but his presence lightened the mood significantly and helped keep my nerves in check too.
The receptionist led us down a hallway toward a large conference room and we could hear various dogs barking in the kennels in the back. The walls were adorned with photos of different breeds throughout the years standing proudly. Most kennels had a wall of fame to honor the service of their dogs, and rightfully so.
“Everyone is excited for your visit, thank you for taking the time to show us your gear”, the receptionist said as she pushed open a steel door where our contacts were.
There were about 30 people, both men and women from ranks of all sorts, sitting patiently around a semi-circle. Their expressions ranged from happy, to reserved, and all the way to disinterested. This was understandable, given the large group setting. There is always bound to be a few people who are just punching the clock and going through the motions of the day.
Regardless, everyone’s eyes got a little brighter when they noticed Boots was with us. We let him walk around the room so that he could introduce himself, getting pets from those who wanted to, which was unsurprisingly almost everyone.
Like most meetings, pleasantries were exchanged between their head of command and us, and we were introduced.
“Alright everyone, listen up”, their leader started to say, “we’ve got Jeff, Riley, and their dog, Boots, here today to show us a thing or two about K9 Storm and the importance of their equipment.”
We started with a brief company history, highlighted various high-profile K9 teams and events from around the globe where our gear was used, then swiftly moved to the demonstration of the Patrol Swat Vest features with the help of Boots.
“The Patrol Swat Vest is important for Police Dogs because it will stop a variety of handguns rounds, bladed weapons, and is even fire resistant”, Jeff explains to the group.
Hands everywhere immediately shoot up.
“Has a dog ever been shot wearing one?” asks a man with a black baseball cap. He’s leaning back in his chair slightly, interested but skeptical.
File footage of PSD Blitz and Ofc. Suver, circa 2000
“That’s a great question,” I respond. “And the answer is, yes.”
In the early 2000’s, on an early morning 'routine' traffic stop, a suspect fled from Officer Suver of the Auburn PD, in Washington. He sent his K9 partner, Blitz, to try to apprehend him. As Blitz cornered the suspect, he turned and fired at least seven rounds from a .45 auto at a distance of less than ten feet directly at Blitz, but the dog continued to fight. He would subsequently learn that at least two rounds hit his Patrol Swat Vest. Blitz was not injured and continued the battle, putting the suspect down.
“The suspect had several firearms on him, and there’s no doubt that Blitz and his K9 Storm Patrol Swat Vest saved the lives of many officers that day.”
You could audibly hear a hushed ‘whoa’ come from several people in the group.
Jeff continues, “It’s important that these dogs are protected because they are given very dangerous jobs to do, and it’s our job to help them come home safely.”
At that exact moment, Boots flops over on his side and rolls on his back, asking for a belly rub from the women in the front row.
The crowd laughs and the group can’t help themselves.
“What type of dog is Boots?”
“Does Boots know any tricks?”
“How old is Boots?”
Until finally, an authoritative looking woman with glasses and straight brown hair pulled back in a tight bun cuts the playful banter, “What is sticking out on top of his vest?”
I assumed she must’ve been talking about the load bearing handle, so I jump in to explain.
“That right there is called the special ops. handle. It’s used for lifting a dog over an obstacle like a fence and can even be used for rappelling from a helicopter. The handle is really strong, rated to 2,500 lbs. it could hold the weight of every single person in this room without ripping or tearing.”
The group nodded, but I could see from the looks on their faces that they didn’t quite understand what I meant. I glanced at Jeff and he sprang into action.
In one fluid motion, Jeff strides toward Boots, who is still laying turtled over on his side, and grabs the top of the handle. He turns him right side up, bicep curling him with the use of the handle so that he is now suspended freely above the ground. His paws dangle carelessly beneath his body like the legs of a rider on a suspended roller coaster, gently swaying back and forth as Jeff moves around the room showing off his new found dumbbell.
Boots testing out slinging equipment in 2010.
The crowd breaks into applause. They’ve never seen anything like this before. The people who were originally disinterested when we arrived were now sitting on the edge of their seat.
“Now, THAT, is cool!”
“Look how comfortable he is!”
“How old is Boots?”
The questions and compliments keep coming, until the same woman who asked the first question interjects a little less seriously, “Thanks! But I was actually wondering about that shiny looking thing.”
Jeff has now put Boots back on the floor, and I understand what she is pointing to. From my original vantage point, all I could see was the handle, but underneath lay the biggest surprise of the presentation.
I move over to the plastic fold-up table that was holding our laptop and other items. One of which; a black watertight box, lay flat beside them. It was closed shut, concealing the contents inside.
“Very observant”, I say, genuinely impressed that anyone even noticed it. “That is a special rail system that holds a camera called the Intruder. It attaches directly to the dog’s back.”
Again, from a quick scan of the audience, you could tell that the group couldn’t quite conceptualize what I meant.
Knowing this, I open both the left and right latch that is keeping the box closed to reveal the contents inside. Jeff takes out the Intruder Transmitter, holds it in his hand, and presents it to the audience for everyone to see.
He then lowers the Intruder, placing it right behind Boots’ shoulders directly on his spine, and in one seamless motion, slides the Intruder effortlessly into place using the Slide Lock Rail.
An audible and satisfying “click” confirms that everything is connected properly and in place. He releases the latch holding the arm down, and the Intruder is now popped up into position precisely behind the dog’s head, ready for action. Jeff then proceeds to turn on the Receiver with just as much ease, and swivels the monitor 180 degrees around to face the crowd. All they can see is their own astonished faces staring right back at them on the screen.
At this point, more questions are being sent our way excitedly. One of the leaders, having been quiet for some time, asks the most poignant one.
“What is the main reason to have a camera on the dog?”
The purpose is simple: to allow the handler and team to see what their dog sees, but more importantly, how they are reacting to what they see, smell, and hear.
For military or SWAT teams, the dog is almost always working in front of the team. When a dog rounds a corner of a building or enters a room, there is no way to tell what they have found without having a visual on the dog. Dogs will indicate a variety of things that are both obvious, such as where a suspect is, all the way to things that are obscure, like a person hiding behind a closed door.
But how does a camera tell you where a person is hiding if you can’t see them?
The answer is that the camera, does not.
It’s the dog, through their use of body language, that does.
This is the greatest advantage that the Intruder has over something like a drone or robot. Your dog has the ability to think and by allowing them to use their God given talent and to detect odors, they can locate hidden people, weapons, bombs, or narcotics in a fraction of the time that man-made equipment or robots ever could.
This greatly improves both dog and officer safety – with the Intruder, handlers have the ability to decide whether to allow the dog to keep searching if the situation is safe, or to retreat back to the handler if there is any imminent threat. The best way to demonstrate this is to allow the users to try it for themselves.
“Who wants to play hide and seek?” I ask.
Before we could even finish the sentence, hands shoot back up to the sky. Everyone is interested to see how the Intruder works on Boots.
We pick a group of 4, which includes members of the Command. They go outside and hide down the hallway, as far away from Boots as possible.
Inside the room, the rest of the audience watches in amazement as Boots is released to find them, and makes his way around the corner and directly down the same hall. They can see his floppy ears gently bounding up and down as he moves through the building. The Intruder is positioned right above his head, giving the perfect vantage point until finally he reaches the group in hiding.
K9 Storm Intruder Camera System: Built-in IR Lights on the Intruder Transmitter transition seamlessly from light to dark environment.
This allows handlers to have a perfectly clear picture of what their dog is doing on the Intruder Receiver, even in total darkness.
“Found you!”, everyone watching the receiver shouts in unison, completely unprompted. The group is now buzzing with excitement once again.
“We got to get one of those for our dog!”
“I can’t believe we could see them, it’s like we were right there!”
“How old is Boots?”
And just like that, the presentation is over and our grand finale is complete.
The audience gives one last round of applause, a few more scruffs for Boots, and the leader walks us out to the lobby of the building.
“Thank you so much for coming, that was an amazing presentation. They are going to be talking about this for years to come.”
We walk out into the blazing July sun and make our way to the car, happy and thankful that the event went well.
“Do you think they liked it enough to place an order?”, Jeff says with a mischievous smile before turning the key in the ignition.
“Fingers crossed”, I say. “Just remind me to follow up with them in 15-20 years.”
We share a brotherly laugh and speed away from the gravel parking lot, leaving only a cloud of dust in our wake. Just visible through the haze was a sandwich board sign at the entrance:
“Welcome All Humane Society Summer Camp Kidz! Ages 5 and up.”