Rescued dog becomes first pit bull arson detection K9 in New Jersey

Meet Hansel. He is the first pit bull to become an arson detection K9 in New Jersey. 

MILLVILLE, N.J. - A pup rescued from a dog fighting ring is the first pit bull to become an arson detection K9 in New Jersey.

The Throw Away Dogs Project picked up Hansel in a police raid at a Canadian dog fighting ring at 7-weeks-old. Hansel was rehabilitated by the nonprofit. The dog was eventually trained and certified to work with the Millville fire station.

Meet Hansel. He is New Jersey's first pit bull arson detection K9. (Throw Away Dogs Project)

The Throw Away Dogs Project trains dogs to positively impact the community.

For more on the Throw Away Dogs Project, please click here.

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Can we make the announcement yet? YES .....ITS TIME! When all the odds are against you and you really only have a small Village of people that are determined to make this work because we all believe IT CAN WORK and the passion is seeping out of all of our pours to make it happen. WELL IT DID! Throw Away Dogs Project HANSEL was part of the #Savethe21 Global movement. Misunderstood and waiting in limbo until he found a new purpose. Yes, he has all the qualities of a damn good working dog. We wanted once again to push the envelope TO MAKE A STATEMENT that YES THIS CAN BE DONE! Hansel has been in K9 School for 14 weeks now with 2 weeks left to go. Once he graduates, he will stand along the side of his fellow peers who are all getting certified for dual purpose work. But not Hansel, he will be receiving a certification as a single purpose K9 for Arson Detection work. Hansel and his Handler proved this is absolutely possible with dedication and hard work. Why is this so important? Not for bragging rights, this is proof once again that BULLY BREEDS can do this work and it’s time to END BSL! K9 Hansel will be the FIRST working Bully Breed in the State of NJ and the First Arson Bully Breed in that State. We are still researching but we have not found any records of ANY certified Bully Breed ARSON dogs THROUGHOUT the United States (so far) this is not confirmed yet. This CAN BE DONE! Please follow in our footsteps. Let’s open our minds, talk to those Chiefs and Officials, let’s utilize this breed more. K9 Hansel and his Handler Tyler Van Leer will be Stationed at the Millville Fire House in Millville NJ. Thank you to everyone who played a part in this MILESTONE! Petco Foundation Dog Tales Rescue and Sanctuary Dogs Playing for Life #SHARETHE21 #Ontario21 #PitbullsForPolice #DeathRowDog #SaveThe21 #ThrowAwayDogs #OntarioRescuedDogs #K9 #DogFightingvictim #ShelterDogToWorkingDog #NonProfit #Repurpose #ScentDetectionDog #WorkingDog #ExplosiveDetectionDog #NarcoticDetectionDog #PitbullsOfInstagram #BSL #EndBsl #Bslofinstagram #BullyBreed #ShelterDogToWorkingDog #k9 #k9hansel #wagmorebarkless

A post shared by Throw Away Dogs Project (@throwawaydogsproject) on Jan 2, 2020 at 9:28am PST