Police Officers Learn Tactical Casualty Care for their Police Canine Partners

The Pasadena Police Department and Police & Working K-9 Foundation, a California non-profit organization, are proud to host a Tactical Canine Casualty Care Course for law enforcement officers and their police canine partners. The course will be held on March 22, 2016 at the Pasadena Rose Bowl and sponsored by Pet Food Express through the Cover Your K-9 Fundraiser. Twenty-five K-9 handles from eight law enforcement agencies (Pasadena Police Dept., Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept., Los Angeles Police Dept., California Highway Patrol, US Coast Guard, South Pasadena Police Dept., Alhambra Police Dept., and Whittier Police Dept.) will be trained in the skills to assess their canine partner’s injuries and stabilize the dog for transportation and emergency veterinary care.

The full-day instruction is taught by Doctor Janice Baker and her team of Veterinary Tactical Group out of North Carolina. Dr. Baker has 16 years’ experience a military veterinarian with over ten years with Special Operations Forces and combat deployments supporting working dogs. Her team of four instructors includes two former Special Operations Forces Combat Medics, a former Military Working Dog Handler with multiple military deployments, and a law enforcement canine handler with expeditionary, emergency canine care. The course is scenario-based exercises with an emphasis on treating gunshot and stab wounds.

Pasadena Police Department is also proud to present the newest member of the Pasadena PD canine team, Officer Lynda Mercado and canine partner “Kyra”, a 2 ½ year old female Dutch Shepherd from Holland trained in patrol operations, suspect detection searches, and will be certified in explosives detection by May 2016. The acquisition of Pasadena PD’s fourth K-9 unit was made possible by the generous donation from the Pasadena Police Foundation.
Officer L. Mercado is a 19 year veteran of the Pasadena Police Department and the Department’s first female canine handler. Officer L. Mercado has been in law enforcement since 1998 and has worked several specialized assignments, including Field Training Officer, Special Investigations Unit, Burglary Task Force, and Event Planning.

DATE AND TIME: Tuesday, March 22, 2016 between 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Rose Bowl, Pasadena

Website References:
TCCC Course and the K9 SWAT Kits provided by the Police & Working K-9 Foundation
http://www.pawk9.org

Funds for this course were raised at the Cover Your K9 Fundraiser held by Pet Food Express each year
(Los Angeles area Pet Food Express stores: Pasadena, Beverly Hills, Tarzana, Rolling Hills Estates
and Long Beach)
https://petfoodexpress.com/giving-back/cover-your-k-9

Hosted in partnership with the Pasadena Police Department K-9 Unit http://www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/police/K9/