The Fire Marshal’s Office introduced their new Arson K-9 team on Tuesday.
Senior Investigator David Henderson and his K-9, Shannon, recently graduated from a four-week arson dog training in New Hampshire.
Shannon and Henderson will investigate fires in Northern Maine.
The State Farm Arson Dog Program is fully funded by State Farm and is available to fire departments and law enforcement agencies across the U-S.
On Tuesday, Shannon completed a demonstration for media by sniffing large cans for an accelerant.
When she locates it, she would sit and Henderson would reward her with a treat.
“It’s a resource that I really can’t put a value on, you know, something that will take a fire investigator, you know, several hours, sometimes even days to go through a fire scene. We’re able to bring the canine in in a matter of minutes,” said Henderson.