2007 Report of Henny's Training and Activities GO

Check out what Henny's been up to lately! GO

In 2006, Seattle Fire was offered a training spot in the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive's (ATF) Accelerant Detection Canine Program. Lieutenant Stephen Baer of the Fire Investigation Unit returned from the five-week training course in Virginia in March, 2006, and with him was Henny, a female black lab. Henny is Seattle Fire Department's first accelerant canine, or "arson dog".

Henny's Story

Henny was born in December, 2004, with the purpose of being a guide dog for a blind person and she was raised by a family in Maryland.

Early on, the family had a feeling that Henny might not be cut out for leading a blind person. They reported that she was "Strong as an ox on the leash and loved to stop and sniff EVERYTHING!"

Stopping to sniff is not a problem for most dogs, but for a blind person trying to get to work on time, it is a problem. Henny was not selected as a guide dog but that loss was Seattle Fire Department's gain because she excels at sniffing out arson!

Arson Facts

Arson is the leading cause of fires (267,000 annually) in the United States and the second leading cause of deaths (475) and injuries (2,000). Arson causes $1.4 billion in property loss each year.

Seattle Fire Department has taken a big step towards improving arson investigation in Western Washington by acquiring Henny.

Arson Alarm Hotline

If you see any suspicious fire-related activity, call 9-1-1 immediately or if you have any information regarding an arson fire, call the Arson Alarm Hotline at 1-800-55-ARSON.

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Last Modified:   December 11, 2007