Aviation security dogs at their graduation. Photo / Frances Cook
Aviation security dogs at their graduation. Photo / Frances Cook
When Kurt Stephenson was leaving high school in 2008 he was offered a university scholarship to study viticulture.
But he turned it down, knowing he wanted to take the long road toward becoming a police dog handler.
Today that dream has become a reality, with Stephenson and his dog, Mint,becoming one of 10 dog and handler teams graduating from the New Zealand Police Dog Training Centre in Trentham.
Five teams will work for New Zealand Police, and five for Aviation Security Service.
Stephenson said even though it had taken a decade to become a dog handler, he had never regretted the decision.
The police dogs and their handlers who graduated today, including Kurt Stephenson and Mint (far right). Photo / Frances Cook
Now he and Mint are headed to the South Island to help keep Cantabrians safe.
"[The dogs] are all their own characters, and they've got their own quirks.
"They make you laugh, and they also make you cry, but at the same time working together and getting to where we are now is really rewarding.
"Because you are, you're a team at the end of the day. I rely on him and he relies on me, which is awesome."
The training is nine months of intensive work to make sure both dog and handler are up to the job.
National Co-ordinator Police Dogs Inspector Todd Southall said the latest graduates had been part of a plan to change the dog training system, and had all handled it well.
"We want our dogs to be quieter, instead of barking the whole time.
"It's good for a whole range of reasons. Particularly when we're finding offenders at the end of the track, it's good if the dog is quieter so the handlers can communicate well with the offender.
"So that's good for everybody.
"We train these pups from eight weeks. So we're imprinting really desirable behaviours at eight weeks.
