UniChem hosted six teams from the Ontario, California, police department's canine explosive detection unit for a real-world training exercise at the company's facility in April, Mark Grieco, vice president, said.
The unit, primarily based at Ontario International Airport (ONT), took part alongside a federal officer who coordinates the detection programs nationally, Grieco said. He said he used the visit to educate the teams about the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC).
The exercise stood out because it took place in a working facility, Grieco said.
"I think the most interesting thing was that the training took place in an active business rather than an empty or staged warehouse," he said. "The officers take turns organizing the trainings, and so most of them did not know that they would be working in a functioning business, something that made the training much better and closer to their actual working environment. All of the teams were very pleased with the training.”
The teams had previously trained outside UniChem's building but worked inside it for the first time during the April exercise, Grieco said.
"It may become an ongoing relationship, depending on the needs of the police department," Grieco said. "They know we are open to hosting them again in the future."
A chance to educate
Grieco said he told the teams and the federal coordinator that NASC applies high standards across the supply chain.
"I explained that NASC holds the whole supply chain, from raw materials through finished products, to a very high standard, even higher in some respects than what may be required for human consumption," Grieco said. "They can buy with confidence when the NASC quality seal is present."
He added that NASC has started a treat program for the teams to look for in the future.
Grieco compared working dogs to athletes in stressing the importance of quality nutrition.
"Working dogs are like athletes, making nutrition even more important in their daily lives," he said. "It's not just nutrition, but quality nutrition, and that is where NASC comes in."
UniChem Enterprises, Inc., a NASC-certified raw ingredient supplier, distributes nutritional materials, such as amino acids, vitamins, functional ingredients and herbal extracts, to the manufacturers who make finished pet supplements and foods.
