A happy dog named Hansel was rescued from a dog fighting ring in the Canadian community of Tilbury. Hansel was ready to be put down along with more than 30 other canines in the ring due to Ontario’s ban on pit bulls.
Fortunately, Rob Scheinberg spoke out on behalf of all the dogs and persuaded the court to reverse its judgment. Hansel was one of the dogs who was brought to the shelter in Florida after being evaluated and sent to “Dogs Playing For Life,” a non-profit organization in Florida “with a mission to enhance the quality of life of shelter dogs to increase life-saving.” He was then adopted by the dog training organization “Throw Away Dogs Project” in Philadelphia which trains dogs to be awesome K-9 officers.
The canine was delivered to the Millville Fire Department, which was in need of an arson detection dog, after more than a year of training. Hansel was the first of his breed to become an arson detection K9 officer because of this. After being saved from death, the dog is now saving lives on his own!
He has also won the Law Enforcement and Detection Hero Dog 2021 award.
He has received specialized training to recognize ignitable substances like gasoline and diesel.
Following Hansel’s lead, other departments have also indicated an interest in adopting pit bulls as arson detection dogs.
Over time, the dog has developed a close friendship with his handler, firefighter Tyler Van Leer, in addition to helping the fire service save lives.
The “dynamic pair in a very specific field” is now Hansel and Tyler. They are inseparable, Tyler said in one of his interviews.
“He is just an awesome dog. I wouldn’t ask for any other dog”
Image credits: arsonk9hansel
