When "Hunter" was first assigned to our K9 detail our first training day was at our shooting range.  The next day, the poor dog tried to go potty and straight blood came out!  The vet said he had 'colitis' and he was put on a special diet and medication.  This cured the colitis problem, but as the vet warned, he developed food allergies. 

All the dry foods I was trying seemed to make him itch excessively.  That's when I started doing research on dog foods and came across the AFS raw meat diets.  After further research into raw meat diets and many phone calls, one of them to an AFS distributor in my area, I decided on the "AFS meat eater" diet as the best solution for Hunter.

Hunter has been on this diet for several months now and he has shown a dramatic improvement.  Not only are his coat and skin in great shape, but his endurance, focus and whole work attitude has made a great improvement.  He used to lay in the back seat and sleep till I called him out to work.  Now-a-days, he sits in the back watching what is going on around us, almost the entire 10 hour shift.

I have also gotten Hunter certified in the detection of narcotics odors.  The training was in addition to a regular work shift and usually on our days off.  The extra hours and extra training did not seem to pose a problem to Hunter.  He made it through in fine shape!  When the other dogs were tiring out, Hunter still had plenty of energy, and kept right on track.  He never lost focus of what his task was, and graduated at the head of his class (1st out of 6 canines).

There was truly a noticeable difference in the energy level and focus between Hunter and the other dogs.  All of the other dogs seemed to noticeably tire after about 20 -25 minutes of searching.  Hunter did not seem bothered at all.

Yesterday, Folsom prison requested our help in conducting narcotic searches of the work areas that the inmates had constant access to.  True to form,  4 dogs were supposed to be there, but only Hunter and I showed up.  Hunter cleared all of the facilities in approximately four hours, with only two breaks (about 15 minutes each).  I had samples planted in 'clean' areas to make sure he was still working and not just going through the motions.  He found what he was supposed to.....good boy!!

Yes, I attribute a lot of Hunter's success to good and consistent training, but I really don't think he would not have achieved the levels of success he is at, if not for the AFS meat eaters diet.  There is such a noticeable difference from the time I first got him and was feeding him dry dog food to the level he is at now. (Hunter was born in 1997, and raised in and out of kennels.)  And, the difference really shows when we have our group training sessions; his endurance is easily twice that of the other dogs.  That I attribute to the new diet......

Thanks again for all the help you have been to Hunter and I.  The other handlers are starting to get interested in what I'm feeding Hunter, so I'm sure you'll be hearing from them soon.

Best ever,
---G. Beamer/K9-12