Blaze, a 4-year-old bloodhound, has some serious skills that have impressed his partner and colleagues with the Alabama Forestry Commission’s arson investigation team.
There have been times when Blaze has led investigators right to the front door of a suspected arsonist in woods fire cases, Donnie Parker, Blaze’s partner and handler says.
“When we find a trail, I’ll give out before he does,” Parker says. ” Statistics show that most woods arsonists live within a few miles of where they set fires and usually walk into the area where they set the fires. So if Blaze finds a trail, we usually find who made it.”
Alabama’s is one of a small but growing number of state forestry agencies going to the dogs when it comes to investigating arson fires. The dogs are generally sponsored by private foundations and businesses, including State Farm Insurance. Blaze, the only arson dog in the Alabama Forestry Commission, has been working about three years.
From Lohud.com: https://www.lohud.com/usatoday/article/53979010?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s