AUGUSTA — Teddy, a 17-month-old Labrador retriever, strutted his stuff Thursday at the Maine State House in Augusta in his debut as the Capitol Police’s first bomb-sniffing dog.
Officer Ryan Frost of the Maine Capitol Police and Teddy, the department’s first bomb-sniffing dog, display their search skills Thursday in the House of Representatives chamber at the Maine State House in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
Along with Officer Ryan Frost, his handler, Teddy demonstrated how he is able to search for possible explosives in the building that is the seat of Maine state government. Teddy also showed he is still a dog that chews on his leash.
The Maine Capitol Police, a bureau within the state’s Department of Public Safety, have added Teddy to enhance safety, security and preparedness at the State House complex.
Having a bomb detection dog on-site allows the Maine Capitol Police to conduct daily sweeps of the complex to help ensure safety, reduce disruption from hoax bomb threats and assist those who must make decisions in response to potential emergencies.
Teddy was selected and trained through the Maine State Police K-9 Unit and certified through the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro.
Frost and Teddy began training last summer and were certified as a team Oct. 18, 2024.
The breeder had named the dog Jeter, but the Capitol Police changed the name from the retired New York Yankees shortstop — Derek Jeter — to Teddy, in honor of Ted Williams, the Boston Red Sox star hitter and left fielder.
Teddy is the 100th detection dog graduate of the AKC Patriotic Puppy Program, which addresses the critical shortage of high-quality, domestically raised and trained explosives detection dogs.
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