Several K-9s and their handlers took part in a series of training exercises Tuesday at the Fluvanna Fire Department. Training is held each Tuesday at various locations, said Jason Beichner, the senior K-9 instructor with the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office. Other agencies involved in many of the K-9 training exercises, which are required by the state, include the Lakewood-Busti Police Department, Jamestown Police Department, Dunkirk Police Department and Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office. Local K-9s are dual purpose, meaning they can track people as well as detect illegal narcotics or explosives. K-9 Drake is pictured Tuesday afternoon outside the Fluvanna Fire Department approaching Dana Kapuscinski of the Sheriff’s Office with Beichner in the foreground. Beichner said the group is always looking for new locations for training.

P-J photos by Eric Tichy