LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It's not every day a rescue pup graduates from a K9 training program. Especially, to become a gun dog for Caesars Entertainment on the strip.
Cake and donuts were brought in to the Special Response K9 Headquarters of the Linq, where staff and others gathered to celebrate the graduation of Turbo.
He's now a gun dog and ready for duty.
What does that involve? Well, Turbo will be on active duty now, assisting security at all nine Caesars Entertainment properties in Las Vegas.
The company's head of security operations says the mixed breed went through a rigorous K9 training program. And it will ultimately be utilized as an aid to firearm detection.
"They put out different kinds of guns and one blank room. We search and when he indicates on an odor, we reward. And once he's finished that course, they pass or fail. They told us everything was good, so we're ready to move on to work," said Aaron Gomez, K9 handler with Caesars Entertainment.
Gomez says the training does not discriminate against the gender of a dog but rather if a dog has what it takes.
"They're pretty selective. They look for a certain amount of drive. And once that's indicated, then they say ok, this dog would be a good candidate for explosive or firearms training," said Gomez.
Some might say Turbo wasn't always destined to become a gun dog. He was a stray picked up by The Animal Foundation last year and never claimed.
"We try our best to provide enrichment, different outlets for them. But we can't provide them this intense training like they can do with caesars. So, the fact we can get him to a program like this, get his brain working…it's a real started from the bottom now we're here story," said Kaleigh O'Neill, animal welfare manager with The Animal Foundation.
Turbo was found abandoned and picked up by the non-profit. Caesars contacted them, looking for suitable dogs…and the rest was history.
