The dogs were let out on Saturday, September 24, and Sunday, September 25, for a fun, community-oriented competition. Paladin, Inc. was proud to partner with the National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW) to host an official Scent Trial competition. Dog owners took their furry friends inside the walls of Paladin, and outside in vehicles, to compete against one another in a timed contest. A total of 38 competitors from neighboring states competed in the trial on Saturday, and about 43 on Sunday.
Lora Barlow, board member for Central Indiana Scent Work, played a large role in making this event happen. Central Indiana Scent Work is a regional scent work organization, and the NACSW is its national accreditation organization. Barlow described what a scent trial is, and how people and their four-legged best finds participate in one.
“This a competition for civilian dogs modeled after professional canine work,” said Barlow. “Think of it as if a police officer is using a canine to find drugs in a car, or if the TSA is searching bags and luggage. Those dogs are trained on specific odors and how to find them. This sport is modeled after that. We have target odors that are hidden in places around the building and on the vehicles outside. The handlers and teams are then tasked to search those areas.”
This competition is timed, and in this contest each dog participated in six different searches. In the end, all six times are combined to decide the winner.
Paladin was very excited to host Central Indiana Scent Work and this competition. Members of the day programs at Paladin prepped for this event by making items to sell and even hand drew pictures for each of the 38 teams competing.
“This has been the buzz all week here at our day program,” said Steve Hobby, president, and CEO of Paladin, Inc. “Our folks have been making soap, dog toys, dog treats, and doggy bags. They’ve been really excited about the dogs being here and the competition.”
When Central Indiana Scent Work reached out to Paladin about using their facilities for a trial competition, Paladin took it and ran with it. They were all in on this event and they wanted to make it a special time for everyone. This partnership hits close to home for Barlow, and she explained what it meant to work with Paladin.
“This does go beyond our typical event,” said Barlow. “Paladin and the services they do, supporting the life of young children all the way up to senior service individuals with disabilities, is the field that I work in for my day job. Paladin and the team here have taken this idea and run with it. The people they support here have done crafts, and they’re helping us host lunch and they’ve all been very immersed.”
Paladin is very pleased with the response to this event from the community. They hope that hosting this trial will bring more awareness to helping people with disabilities.
“We’re just really grateful for the community support,” said Melissa Bohacek, marketing and development director for Paladin, Inc. “What we really want to do with events like this is bring people in so we can build a community, we can let folks know what we’re doing and showcase all of the great things that are happening inside this building.”
The contestants participating in the trial all have a strong, loving bond with their dogs, and for most of them, years of training have gone into this. Most of the teams have traveled from out of state. Melanie Herbst and her dog Four traveled from Chicago to compete.
“My dog is almost six,” said Herbst. “We’ve been doing nose work since he was just several weeks old. We started nose work back in 2010, and we are loving it.”
For Herbst, spending time with her dog is the best part of scent work, and despite the results of the trial, she is already a winner.
“My dog is just the best searching dog ever,” said Herbst. “Even if we don’t win, I’m still going home with the best dog ever. This event is supposed to be fun, and ultimately it’s just playing with dogs and hanging out with people we haven't seen in a while, meeting new friends, and enjoying the day.”
To learn more about Paladin, check out its website here.
To learn more about Central Indiana Scent Work, check out its Facebook page here.
