Detective Isaac Short of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and his police canine, Dallas, recently completed a state certification and contest through the United States Police Canine Association. Short and Dallas were teamed up with three other pairs of officers and dogs, and earned first place in locating illegal narcotics. Individually, Dallas earned the second-highest score among over 50 canines from departments across Iowa. Short says it’s an honor to be recognized for his work with Dallas.

“I try to not make it about points and competition because my goal is to get my certification and network with other handlers and talk with them about the ups and downs that they have. The judges have been handlers for a long time, so it’s good to get the recognition that we work well as a team, and I was really proud of Dallas. He was really focused when we were there, and I couldn’t have asked him to do any more.”

The competition consisted of searches of vehicles and rooms with hidden narcotics. Hear more from Detective Short on an upcoming In Depth.