An Exeter Township police officer and his K-9 partner came away with a prestigious prize for their teamwork last weekend.
Officer Joseph Ilg and Iko took home the Top Dog award at the East Coast K-9 Trials on Sept. 30 in New Tripoli, Lehigh County. Finishing as the overall winners at the trials, Ilg and Iko competed against more than a dozen K-9 teams from across the region in disciplines that included K-9 call-off, patrol functions and speed.
Ilg, a 13-year veteran of the department, and Iko, a 1-year-old Belgian Malinois/German shepherd mix, have been working together for eight months, according to public information officer Sgt. Sean Fullerton. In those months, they have won several K-9 competitions along with making drug arrests in the township.
Ilg and Iko are one of four K-9 units in the department. All of the dogs are trained in patrol functions and narcotics and explosives detection.
