On Vacation Forever

Erin is a black Labrador retriever from New York City, she was born in December, 1998. are known for their keen sense of smell, retrieval instinct and friendly demeanor. Erin, her expenses, and care are provided to our agency through sponsorhips, scholarships and donations. Erin was trained several weeks prior to the arrival of her CBI canine handler. The handler and Erin then attended four weeks of training in Alfred, Maine. They were certified as a team in September of 2000 by the Maine State Police Academy. The CBI canine team must re-certify every year throughout their working career.

Erin is trained to sit when she detects the presence of a flammable liquid. This is called a “passive alert” and is used to keep the canine from scratching and digging at an area where the evidence is present. She is trained on a “food reward program.” When she alerts to an area where a flammable liquid is present she is hand fed by the handler. When she is not on a fire scene she is fed through the same process using simulated training scenarios. Erin’s diet, health and happiness is strictly monitored by the handler to ensure all her needs are met. She is used to educate the public about fire safety.