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<p>Searching for crime-scene evidence in the woods can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.</p><p>For the Pennsylvania Game Commission, that&#8217;s no problem.</p><p>In 2015, the agency implemented a canine program, partnering three wildlife conservation officers with a specially-trained Labrador retriever. The dogs are trained to trail and detect evidence which would aid officers in picking up the minute, hard-to-find details of a case.</p><p>That includes everything from finding a tiny .22 shell casing in a muddy field to a drop of blood in the leaf litter.</p><p>The first full year was completed in 2016, and results show the program is a success.</p><p>According to Randy Shoup, assistant director of the Bureau of Wildlife Protection, the dogs and their handlers were deployed 67 times and also conducted 42 education programs.</p><p>Most of those deployments occurred in the fall during the peak of hunting season and with just two dogs after one of the dogs required surgery for an injury.</p><p>&#8220;I expect higher numbers this year with all three dogs active,&#8221; Shoup said. &#8220;They are just capable of so much.&#8221;</p><p>Each dog covers two regions of the state. Dave Allen, who is a canine handler and special investigator for the northeast and southeast regions, said the demand for assistance from the dogs was not only from PGC officers, but other law enforcement as well is strong.</p><p>Allen and his dog Skye were called for 32 deployments alone last year, searching for everything from shell casings and crossbow bolts to hunters in the woods.</p><p>&#8220;The dogs definitely make investigations more efficient,&#8221; Allen said. &#8220;If a WCO gets a report of shots fired from a vehicle and they run a metal detector along the road, it&#8217;s going to alert on every bit of metal.</p><p>&#8220;The dog is going to alert on that fresh shell casing.&#8221;</p><p>Allen cited several incidents where the keen nose of his dog aided in building a case last year:</p><p>&#8226; On the first day of the firearms deer season, the PGC Northeast Region Office received a call about a deer allegedly shot in a safety zone. Finding a spent shell casing would prove where the shot was fired, but the area in question was a muddy cornfield and it was pouring rain. Allen arrived at the scene with Skye and within minutes the dog found a fresh shell casing that had been pushed into the mud. It was determined that the shot was within a safety zone and charges were filed.</p><p>&#8226; During archery season a report came in that five shots were fired after dark. A responding officer found blood at the scene, and the next morning Skye located five shell casing from a .40 caliber handgun in the leaf litter. An additional search with the dog uncovered a deer head and hide buried in a large mound of grass clippings. Allen said there were bullet holes in the hide, and together with the shell casings the agency filed charges based on a deer allegedly shot with a firearm during archery season.</p><p>&#8226; The dogs can also trail people effectively as well. During deer season police received a call about a potentially drunk hunter in the woods. Allen took Skye to the scene and the dog tracked the hunter for three-quarters of a mile into the woods. Allen said the person was found with multiple cans of beer while hunting and a blood-alcohol test showed the individual was three times the legal limit. Charges are pending.</p><p>&#8220;The dogs have definitely been a benefit across the state,&#8221; Allen said. &#8220;You need to find a shell casing in a muddy, cut cornfield, where would you start? The dog runs a grid pattern and she&#8217;s located it in five minutes.&#8221;</p><p>Shoup said there&#8217;s a public safety benefit to the dogs as well. He cited a case last year in the Northwest Region where two felons were shooting guns at a PGC range. One individual was arrested while the other fled into the woods. Two days later, a dog was brought in to determine if the person discarded anything while fleeing, and the canine uncovered a plastic bag with a stolen handgun inside.</p><p>&#8220;A child could&#8217;ve walked into the woods and picked up that gun,&#8221; Shoup said. &#8220;These dogs are capable of so much. If funding wasn&#8217;t an issue, I&#8217;d love to see a dog in every region.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Dave Allen, canine handler/special investigator with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and his dog Skye have aided in more than 30 investigations last year. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Allen1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Dave Allen, canine handler/special investigator with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and his dog Skye have aided in more than 30 investigations last year. </caption0><photoCredit0>Photos courtesy of the Pennsylvania Game Commission </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Allen2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The Pennsylvania Game Commission&#8217;s canine program has benefited the agency when it comes to evidence detection and trailing. In this photo, Skye lays next to a crossbow bolt (on the left) she found during an investigation into a bear baiting case. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Allen2.jpg</photo1><caption1>The Pennsylvania Game Commission&#8217;s canine program has benefited the agency when it comes to evidence detection and trailing. In this photo, Skye lays next to a crossbow bolt (on the left) she found during an investigation into a bear baiting case. </caption1><photoCredit1>Photos courtesy of the Pennsylvania Game Commission </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Allen3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Dave Allen gives his dog Skye a drink during an investigation last year. In 2016, Skye was involved in multiple investigations. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Allen3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Dave Allen gives his dog Skye a drink during an investigation last year. In 2016, Skye was involved in multiple investigations. </caption2><photoCredit2>Photos courtesy of the Pennsylvania Game Commission </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Trained dogs have found everything from shell casings to hunters</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

PGC’s canine program helping to crack down on crime