What started as a routine drive by one of our 2 News Nevada crews quickly turned into something unexpected. While passing the old Corwin dealership on Kietzke Lane, our team spotted several marked police cars parked around the property.
As they got closer, it became clear this wasn’t an ordinary local law enforcement response.
Many of the police cars were K9 units, and several were marked from out-of-state agencies. That’s when our crew caught up with one of the people on scene and learned what was going on.
“This year is the 15th annual Working Dog Conference for law enforcement K9s,” said Ron Cloward, President of the Western States Police K9 Association. “The conference started on Monday.”
The event, headquartered at the Peppermill, brings law enforcement K9 teams together for a week of training and instruction. According to Cloward, 90 teams participated over the course of the week.
Participants traveled from across the U.S., including two handlers from Mesquite, TX, one from Garland, TX, and two from Meridian, ID. Others came from various parts of California and Nevada.
The conference follows a two-part daily format. Mornings are spent in instructor-led classroom sessions, while afternoons focus on outdoor practical training with those same instructors. Cloward said instructors are brought in from across the country to help run the event.
The choice of the old car dealership as a training site was intentional. “Being an old car dealership, it’s a very large space with lots of nooks and crannies for particular K9 training scenarios,” Cloward said.
The conference continues through the end of the week, offering police dogs and their handlers the opportunity to refine their skills in varied environments alongside fellow teams from across the country.
