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PoliceNewsThe Voice of PoliceIla and Turk share the honours at NationalPolice Patrol Dog ChampionshipsBy Steve Plowman, Editor, Police NewsThe National Police Patrol Dog Championship has, for the firsttime its 43-year history, resulted in a tie between defendingchampion Ila and Turk and their respective handlers SeniorConstable Jason Todd (Wellington) and Constable LoganMarsh (Tauranga). They share the Frank Riley ChampionshipCup.Turk and Constable Marsh were first time entrants.Eleven Police patrol teams from around the country qualifiedat regional competitions for the three-day competition. Fivenarcotic dog teams from Police, Customs and Corrections, andfive explosives dog teams from Police, Customs and AviationSecurity joined them.High quality of competitionInspector Brendon Gibson, national co-ordinator of policedogs, said very little separated the top dog teams across alldisciplines and all categories.“It’s always difficult to predict who wins on the day butconsistency and teamwork are essential,” he said.Senior Constable Todd said he was very pleased with Ila’scomeback effort. There had been some doubt as to whethershe would be able to compete after being slashed across thenose with a knife in an operational incident just three weeksbefore the champs.“It’s great to bounce back like this and for her to perform tothe level I know she’s capable of,” he said. Senior ConstableTodd said he had been feeling the pressure of being defendingchampions leading into the event and that it was “great thatwe’ve pulled this off.”Breeding programmeFive-year-old Ila and four-year-old Turk are both products ofthe national police dog breeding programme, which is run outof the New Zealand Police Training Centre at Trentham.Constable Marsh said he was “blown away by the win”,especially since it was their first time at the nationals. “Iam absolutely stoked,” he told Police News. He said Turkhad been really sick with a chronic neuromuscular diseasecalled myasthenia gravis, which renders the muscles useless.Constable Marsh has had to inject Turk several times a dayto keep the dog alive at various times over the last year. “Athis worst he was not able to walk for more than 20 secondswithout collapsing on the ground, coming very close to deathtwice,” he said.Turk had only been back working properly about eight weeks.“So this is just the icing on the cake. He’s still not a 100%cured but all the hard work seems bloody worthwhile now,”he added.The nationals turned out to be a bit of a family affair forTurk. His brother Tank and his father Reiker competed aswell. “Maybe it was the family support that got him through,”Constable Marsh joked.Constable Marsh and Turk had a second win at the champs118June 2010• BATTLE SCARS: Stitches were evident on the bridge of the nose ofreigning Police patrol dog national champion, Ila, as she was putthrough her paces by her handler Senior Constable Jason Todd atthis year’s championships. Ila and Jason deadheated with Turk andConstable Logan Marsh to share the title.Photo courtesy of Kevin Stent/The Sunday Star-Times.• MIRACLE DOG: Turk, co-winner of the National Police PatrolDog Championship, with his handler, Constable Logan Marsh ofTauranga. Turk’s performance was extraordinary in that he cameback from a serious muscular disease to share the honours.- Photo courtesy of the Bay of Plenty Police Forensic Photography.