By NOREEN GILLESPIE, The Associated Press
MERIDEN, Conn. (AP) -- As they waited on stage to receive their diplomas, these graduates didn’t exactly stand at attention.
One slept on the floor.
Another left his tongue hanging out of his mouth.
One fervently sniffed his surroundings.
The behavior was to be expected: the black and yellow Labrador retrievers make up the 107th class of the Connecticut State Police’s K-9 training program, ready to sniff out drugs and explosives.
The four dogs graduated from the 10-week training program Thursday. Two of the dogs -- Hali and Adam -- will go to Massachusetts State Police, and two others -- Ruby and Badger -- will stay in Connecticut.
“It’s a great looking graduating class,” Col. Tim Barry, commander of the state police, said to the sleek, panting graduates.
The dogs spent weeks training to find explosives or narcotics in different environments: airports, warehouses, schools, trains, buses, casinos, business offices, the state Capitol and private homes.
“We basically train them for real-life scenarios,” said the class’ lead instructor Trooper Mark Linhard, whose first class was the 107th.
The training method involves a food-reward system, teaching the dogs to eat only from the hands of the officers. When a dog properly locates something, they are rewarded with a handful of food, said trainer Trooper First Class William Csontos, who handles new K-9 graduate Ruby.
Trooper Edward Peshka, who handles Badger, said there were some rough spots along the way. The dogs live with their new trainers, and while Peshka said Badger was a welcome addition, there was some damage.
“There are some stuffed animals missing a few ears, and I lost a remote control,” he said, laughing, as his 5-year-old son, Edward, hugged the dog lying on the floor.
The trainers, state police officials and families of the dogs looked on proudly as the dogs sat onstage Thursday. But also in the audience were their original owners, known as the “puppy people” to state police.
Many of the dogs provided to state police come to the K-9 program from Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a New York-based organization that trains guide dogs. Before they go to that organization, they are raised by families throughout the country.
Glynis and Rick Tanner of Carrboro, N.C., raised black Lab Badger from the time he was a puppy. They traveled to Connecticut for the graduation ceremony Thursday, and rapidly snapped pictures of the event with a digital camera.
As a graduation present, they brought a “baby book” of puppy pictures and one of the dog’s favorite toys: a jingle ball.
“From the time he was a puppy, his favorite game was hide and seek. I think this is his destiny,” Glynis Tanner said. “It was very difficult to give him up, but he would have been very unhappy as a pet.”
Cindy Menegay and her husband, John Yannet, of Newtown, raised yellow Lab Adam, who will join Trooper Brian Moran with the Massachusetts State Police. They also brought a graduation present: a fuzzy, squeaky dog bone for Adam to chew.
She said it was hard to give him up, but she was proud.
“He’s promised to put me on his mailing list, and keep me apprised of their adventures together,” she said, after exchanging addresses with Moran before he left.
The dogs will go right to work. For sleepy Ruby, who will join Troop W at Bradley International Airport, it meant her nap would soon end.
“She starts tonight,” Csontos said, glancing quizzically at the sleeping dog. “She’s just resting. This isn’t typical Ruby.”