Hoosick Grange had an open meeting on April 9. Marion Brenenstuhl was in charge of the program. She introduced Mr. Paul Davendonis from the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office. Paul told us he was a fire investigator for eleven years. His partner is a yellow retriever named Inferno. He didn’t bring her in at first; she gets so excited. She is eight years old and weighs 68 pounds and eats only dog food, no table scraps. Paul told us a dog’s nose can smell 400 to 500 times better than humans. He and Inferno investigate after a fire to see if the fire was set or not. Paul took a stick with a drop of keroscene on it and hid it under a paper cup. He had set out five or six cups on the floor in different places. After answering questions, he went out and brought Inferno in. She ran around very excited then Paul called in a high tone voice, “find the cause” – that is the command. She went smelling around each paper cup and then sat next to the one that had the keroscene under it and looked at him. She was right. Then he played with her with something like a towel. She grabbed onto it, and he would pull it. They call this “play and praise.” She loved it. Inferno was very friendly; we were all able to pet her. In 2007 they were able to arrest two arsonists because of her nose. They have been to Bennington, Massaschusetts, Troy and all around the area investigating. They work for the County. They train every week. In the beginning they trained for five weeks in Watkins Glen for “scent impriting.” Inferno wears a vest, goes for check-ups and shots and is a good family dog, safe with the children. She is certified every year. They have two fire investigators in Rensselaer County. The Sheriffs are also EMTs. They belong to the K-9 Unit. Inferno’s number is 16. We sure enjoyed watching Paul and Inferno playing together. We thanked him for coming to Grange.
Our next meeting was April 23, and it was Grange Week. We had the Hoosick Falls Central School Jazz Band at 7:30 pm. Everyone was invited who would have liked to attend. The Refreshment Committee was CFA. Grangers brought cookies and goodies.