Good dog! Watch Stanislaus K-9 that competes on television show next month
The lights and cameras did not faze Kuma, a police dog from Stanislaus County competing on a new TV show.
He and his handler, sheriff’s Deputy Michael Victorino, will appear on the Feb. 12 installment of “America’s Top Dog” on the A&E Network. They went to the Los Angeles area last June for filming of events that included running an obstacle course, detecting scented items and apprehending a pretend suspect.
Victorino can’t reveal how the competition turned out against other teams from around the nation. Nor was Kuma letting on during the Modesto Bee’s visit Thursday to the K-9 training course at the sheriff’s complex off Crows Landing Road.
The deputy did say that his dog was well-suited to the challenges presented at the filming site near Santa Clarita.
“He’s very good with obedience and the agility equipment, so I wasn’t too worried,” Victorino said.
The 10-week show debuted Jan. 8 and has new episodes at 9 p.m. every Wednesday. Each of the first nine weeks features four police teams and one civilian team. The winner each week gets $10,000, plus $5,000 to donate to an animal charity. The finals have a $25,000 prize.
Victorino, 28, has been with the department for seven years. Kuma, 7, is a Dutch shepherd with five years on the force.
They had already competed in various K-9 competitions. The A&E show came about while Sgt. Tom Letras, a sheriff’s spokesman, was exploring ways to publicize the department’s work in general.
It has 12 dog-and-deputy teams. Ten work in patrol and one at the Stanislaus County Jail. The other helps detectives in Patterson, where the sheriff provides law enforcement under contract.
Police dogs use their remarkable sense of smell to find drugs, explosives and missing people. Kuma specializes in guns and ammunition, so his televised trial involved shell casings hidden in several rooms.
And K-9s can put the bite on suspects who keep refusing orders from human cops. Kuma demonstrated this Thursday with the help of Deputy Kevin Melao, who donned the padded suit that protects officers during this part of the training.
On the TV show, the bite trial also requires that the dog obey a command to return to the handler.
“It just shows the control that you have of your dog and the bond you have, how well you work together,” Victorino said.
The obstacle course on “America’s Top Dog” included splashing through a pool of water. Nothing new for Kuma, who once retrieved a suspect from a local irrigation canal while tethered to Victorino.
The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s K-9 Association is promoting the show on its Facebook page. Sheriff Jeff Dirkse conveyed his support in a text to the Bee:
“I think this is a great opportunity to showcase the great work by the team at the sheriff’s office and one of the resources that we have to help keep our community safe.”
“America’s Top Dog” is hosted by Curt Menefee, an NFL host for Fox. His is joined by expert dog trainer Nick White, a former Marine and Secret Service agent. The “sideline reporter” is Jamie Little, whose work includes the Westminster Kennel Club Show.
This story was originally published January 17, 2020 at 9:08 AM with the headline "Good dog! Watch Stanislaus K-9 that competes on television show next month."
