122 Texas K9 Teams – With Royce Ilse, Kevin Winters & Joni Owen

Since the early 20th century, the term “K9” has stood as both a clever play on words and a symbol of unity and partnership between law enforcement officers and their four-legged companions. Recognizing their increasingly valuable contributions to public service, the Conservation Canine Officers Association (CCOA) was founded in 2020 to promote professional development and support for conservation canine teams in North America and beyond. From the CCOA’s annual conference in Newry, Maine, we sit down with Texas wardens and K9 handlers Royce Ilse, Kevin Winters, and Joni Owen to explore the world of conservation K9 handling, the roots and growth of the CCOA, and more!


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Here’s what we discuss:

Texas K9 officers are currently Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds

Different K9s are trained in different specialties

Dogs will provide both obvious and subtle cues when alerting

Received training in Utah

Currently seven trained conservation K9s in the state

Membership in CCOA has helped build connections

Training a cadaver dog

K9s can distinguish between human and animal remains

Giving up a K9 partner

Building partnerships at the state and federal level

The first shark fin case in San Antonio

Training to differentiate between different species and cuts of fish

How boat inspections are conducted

Combatting the illegal sea turtle trade 

CCOA is on Facebook


Hopes for the future of the organization

K9s can be used in multiple complex situations

Kevin’s hat!


Support the CCOA


Credits
Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores
Producer: Jay Ammann
Art & Design: Ashley Hannett
Research / Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches

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