Gunner, a trained police dog, demonstrated to members of the Schuylkill County Animal Response Team on Saturday how valuable he is to local police departments.

The nearly 3-year-old German Shepherd is West Penn Township's K-9 dog who he is capable of finding hidden drugs or attacking a fleeing felony suspect.Gunner and his handler, West Penn Township Chief of Police Brian Johnson, put on a 90-minute demonstration for SCART at the Char-Will Kennels training facility in New Ringgold.Johnson hid marijuana and heroin at two locations and Gunner easily found them both times.The police chief then donned an arm glove and allowed Gunner to attack him. When Johnson gave the command, Gunner released his grip.Diane Sharpless, a member of SCART, said she was impressed with the performance by Gunner. She said she felt it was important to attend a program, since it is possible SCART members could be called to a scene where Gunner was being used.Co-coordinator of the program Diane Buhl said, "We work with police a lot on our call-outs, so we wanted to meet Gunner."Johnson said Gunner is certified through the National K-9 Association. He said Gunner undergoes a minimum of 16 hours a month of training.Even on duty, "The whole thing about a dog is everything is a game to them, even finding drugs," he said.After Gunner attacked Johnson's arm that was encased, he ordered had the dog release its grip. Still, Gunner wanted to keep playing the game and had his ears perked and stance set for additional commands.Johnson also provided some advice for members of SCART in handling dogs, in the event they would ever be attacked.He told people not to curl into a ball. Instead, he said, keep one extremity (arm or leg) moving. The dog will attack the moving portion of your body, and it is better the dog bites an arm or leg than your face or neck."If you run, they will think you're playing with them and they might bite," he said.The police officer said, "The best thing to do with a dog charging at you is stand still. Don't wave your arms. It's like a trigger for them."Despite the imposing appearance of the dog, Johnson assured that Gunner "is great with kids."Johnson said, "He's actually a big family pet. I buy all the food for him. The township doesn't buy it. I donate a lot of my time training him."Johnson fielded questions from the SCART members.One woman asked about the penalty for assaulting a police dog.Johnson said any type of assault or disruption to the dog can be a criminal action. "Even taunting the dog while he's inside the vehicle is a felony," he said.The next event for SCART will be a visit to the Schuylkill County Fair. The fair will be held Aug. 1-6 in Schuylkill Haven.