National Police Blood Hound Association
Members Train in Ellicottville
By Gerlind Dubey

They Follow Their Noses to Lost and Injured Humans

This past Wednesday several folks called Special-E-Fects asking if we knew anything about the bloodhounds’ nose to the ground, with handlers in tow, roaming the streets of Ellicottville. What were they doing in town; did Bucky escape or was it a major drug bust?

In reality it was part of the National Police Blood Hounds Associations Spring Training Seminar hosted by the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office held annually at Allegany State Park. The NPBHA has trained at the state park for the past ten years; handlers and their purebred bloodhounds come from all over the country to participate in actual day and night field work. A spokesperson for the group stated that the group wanted a more civilized urban area where there were more human scents to train their dogs in field of man-trailing.

This was the first time an NPBHA team has ventured into Ellicottville to train; it was quite the site to watch these dedicated canines in action. With a sense of smell far more powerful than man’s the bloodhounds can pick out a target odor in a myriad of odors, especially if his concentration is reinforced by periodic exposure to an item of clothing or other object handled or worn by the person he is seeking; with an ability to probe nooks and crannies that humans cannot penetrate, these dogs save lives; they are hard-working heroes, but it’s all a game to these talented canines. Finding a victim brings a reward – a hug, a treat, or a tussle with a favorite toy

The group was pleasantly surprised by the hospitality extended by locals who happened upon them and especially thankful to the Village crew who allowed the team use the Village garage to hide their target scent. In fact they were so enthralled with the beauty and hospitality of Ellicottville that I believe we will be seeing these officers of the law return to spend some leisure time off in Ellicottville.

The National Police Bloodhound Association has become the most authoritative source of information pertaining to the use of the purebred bloodhound in the field of law enforcement. Since 1966, the National Police Bloodhound Association has been a trusted source for information relative to the use of the purebred bloodhound in the field of law enforcement. The National Police Bloodhound Association has and will continue to train handlers and dogs in the field of man-trailing, and will always hold them to the high standards set by this organization for the benefit of mankind.