YARMOUTH, Maine (NEWS CENTER) --There's a training program in Maine that happens twice a year for a special type of working dog, Arson Dogs. K-9s that aid almost every state in the country with figuring out if a fire was set on purpose.
There were 18 teams of dogs and their handlers that came from all over the US and Canada for the training that was conducted in a Yarmouth burn house. Trainers place accelerants throughout the house to test how well the dogs pick up and flag the scent. According to State Fire Marshal, Joe Thomas, the dogs do the job better than any other human fire investigator.
"When you're trying to look for the difference between accidental and suspicious and all of the host parts of the investigation they become a critical part of that team," said Thomas.
The only dog from Maine that took part was 6-year-old Black Lab named Chasta, along with her handler Daniel Young. Chasta passed the training that Young describes as a labor of love.
"She loves it. When she gets here she sees the pouch go on she knows that she's going to go to work," said Young. "She just heads for the door. She wants to go to work, her tail's wagging, she's ready to go."
There are currently 83 arson dogs all over North America investigating fires. Maine has two, the black lab Chasta who covers the southern part of the state and a second dog that holds down northern Maine.
