Photos by Ken Odor
Lt. Bill Bryant rewards Hunter with some play time after he sniffed out an “explosive” in a test exercise.

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“The dog gets used like a fire truck,” explained Lt. William Bryant Assistant County Fire Marshall Bryant and “Hunter,” a seven-year-old, 60-lb. Flat Coat Retriever, make up Hanover’s Explosive Detection K-9 Team.
Hunter gets called out when his super sensitive nose is needed to determine if a bomb threat is real, or to find a firearm or other cases when explosives are suspected.
“Like a fire truck,” said Bryant, means whenever he and Hunter are needed.
Sort of feast or famine like.
“It depends on what’s going on in the world,” said Bryant, who has worked as a Richmond City Police officer along with his 19 years with the Hanover Fire/EMS, both as a volunteer and a career employee.
After Sept. 11, 2001, K-9 handlers were in great demand, said Bryant.
Bryant and Hanover got into the game in 2003, with Homeland Security grant money, which paid for the dog’s kennel, the vehicle used to transport him and other start-up expenses. Hanover County now pays for the year to year expense of the K-9 team.
“Before we had the dog we had to call the State Police,” said Bryant. “Now we’re paying back those who helped us back then.”
Bryant and Hunter are part of the Metro Richmond Explosives Detection Team, which comprises the city of Richmond, the Henrico County Police Department and the Virginia Capitol Police.
The team may be called on to work in any of the jurisdictions.
Hunter is certified to detect gun powders of all types, commercial dynamite and plastic explosive, TNT, military dynamite and other explosives.
Hunter can do building and vehicle searches, as well as mail, freight, aircraft, gun searches and open area searches.
Bryant and Hunter were trained together in 2003 by the Virginia State Police in a 13-week course, and now hold a certification in the Virginia Police Work Dog Association.
The dogs are motivated by what Bryant called their “play drive.”
“If he can find that smell, he gets to play,” explained Bryant. Not all the dogs in the training course had a strong enough play drive to be selected.
Hunter lives in a kennel at Bryant’s home and travels in a special vehicle provided by the original grant.
Bryant said the “bread and butter” of the job are the area sweeps. He’s done a Bruce Springsteen concert at the Coliseum in Richmond.
Bryant and Hunter also did sweeps in the city during last year’s visit by Queen Elizabeth of England, and more recently at a fundraiser by First Lady Laura Bush in Richmond.
They also do a lot of gun searches in shooting incidents and respond to bomb threats in the area.
Bryant likes his job, which involves standard fire marshal duties when his canine partner’s special talents aren’t needed. He and Hunter are on call 24/7, which doesn’t seem to bother the dog.
“He never calls in sick,” joked Bryant.
Bryant says the job gives him great satisfaction.
“Our reward lies in the peace of mind we can give people,” he said.