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Miami K-9 officer and dog get high marks from national association

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By Linda Ebbing, Staff Writer 9:48 PM Friday, July 24, 2009

OXFORD — Gentle and friendly by nature, Ero, a 5-year-old German Shepherd, knows when it’s time to get serious.

At a recent certification and competition through the United States Police Canine Association, Ero earned the distinction of being one of the best bomb dogs in the state.

“He’s part of our family and is with me and my wife and children all day, every day,” said Keith Hibbard, a Miami University police officer and Ero’s trainer. “Whenever we’re not working, he’s a family dog, but when I put his collar on him, he knows it’s time to go to work.”

At the competition held in June, Hibbard and Ero received the USPCA’s Explosive Detector Dog Certification, which consists of graded operational searches of buildings and vehicles.

Ero identifies explosives by sitting and pointing with his nose rather than scratching at them, which could trigger them, said Hibbard, who worked with explosives in the Navy.

“Other canine handlers tell me Ero is the perfect bomb dog and they wish their dogs were more like him,” he said. “He won’t give up while searching for explosives, but he’s also willing to be gentle, put on a smile and lean against a friend so you will pet him when he’s not working.”

Hibbard became his handler in 2007 after going through explosives training with Ero for 10 weeks.

“Chief John McCandless spearheaded the bomb dog program,” Hibbard said. “His vision is the reason we have Ero.”

And while Ero works from the Miami campus, he’s often requested by other area agencies for pre-event and package sweeps. He and Hibbard worked the NAACP convention in Cincinnati, at Great American Ball Park a few years ago when President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch and, the most recent sweep, was for Gov. Ted Strickland when he visited Miami.

“We feel very proud and fortunate to have one of the best explosive detection dogs in the Tri-state and a handler like Officer Hibbard who is so dedicated to his community and our K-9 program,” said Capt. Jason Willis who oversees Miami’s program.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2158 or lebbing@coxohio.com.

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