Law enforcement K-9s and their handlers converged on Perry for training

About 80 law enforcement K-9 units and their handlers from across the country converged on the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter in Perry this week for the annual South Georgia K9 Training & Certification Workshop.

"We do this training now because a lot of these smaller departments with smaller budgets and manpower can't afford to go to some of the other trainings," said Houston County sheriff's Lt. Clay Chambers, who trained with canine partner Dany.

The event was hosted by the Houston and Dooly county sheriff's offices.

Sheriff's deputies, police officers, state patrol troopers and school resource officers from Missouri to Florida brought their canine partners for the specialized training, said Houston County sheriff's deputy Richard Mayhew, who trained with his canine partner Parco.

Most of the training, which was conducted Monday through Thursday, occurred at the Agricenter.

Mornings began with classroom instruction before the canines were put through the paces, including apprehending mock suspects and sniffing out hidden narcotics.

The canines were also taken up in helicopters, many for the first time.

The idea was to place the canines in varied situations in order to prepare for anything that might arise, Mayhew said.

Thursday's National Narcotic Drug Detection Administration certification exercises took place at Johnny G's Family Entertainment Center, which was closed to the public in order to host the event.

This year's training marked the event's sixth year.

To contact writer Becky Purser, call 256-9559, or find her on Twitter@becpurser.

This story was originally published November 19, 2015 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Law enforcement K-9s and their handlers converged on Perry for training ."