Morris County Sheriff's Office K-9 Team Wins 'America's Top Dog' Episode To Advance To Final Competition

Published on February 27, 2020

Morris County Sheriff's Office K-9 Section Detective Corporal Michael McMahon and his K-9 partner Kai, brought the national spotlight to the Agency by setting two speed records to advance to the finals of the A&E Network's America's Top Dog.

Morris County Sheriff's Office Detective Corporal Michael McMahon and his K-9 partner Kai.

Detective Corporal McMahon, who already was a master dog trainer and handler when he joined the Morris County Sheriff's Office, won two of three rounds of America's Top Dog in episode 8 as part of #teamkai, and now is a contender for a $25,000 prize and Top Dog title that will occur in the series final episode in mid-March.

The outcome of the series, filmed in Santa Clarita, California, in the summer of 2019, is known but America's Top Dog won't be revealed publicly until the final competition.

Morris County Sheriff's Office Detective Corporal Michael McMahon and Kai.

Episode 8 aired Wednesday, February 26, and the Sheriff's Office Bureau of Law Enforcement P.B.A. 151 was so rooting for #teamkai that it hosted a private viewing for more than 150 fellow Officers, friends and family of Detective Corporal McMahon at the Iron Bar in Morristown.

There, viewers cheered, screamed and applauded every time Detective Corporal McMahon and Kai appeared on screen. The cheering was deafening by show's end, when the team was escorted into a winner's circle by series Sideline Reporter Jamie Little.

Detective Corporal McMahon thanked the crowd at the Iron Bar for supporting him and wearing #teamkai T-shirts, and attributed his success to colleagues in the K-9 Section.

I wouldn't be here without them, he said. His bond with Kai, he said, stems from raising him since he was a puppy and essentially being the center of the universe for Kai, the son of Detective Corporal McMahon's previous patrol dog, Ronan.

In episode 8, #teamkai first bested four other K-9 teams in Round One by setting the fastest time of 1:32.42 to run an intricate obstacle course that involved darting through the interiors of patrol cars, navigating a specially-constructed fire escape, leaping over walls, and swimming across a pool.

Morris County Sheriff's Office Detective Corporal Michael McMahon, wearing hat, with Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon and friends and co-workers to celebrate his appearance on America's Top Dog.

In Round Two, #teamkai's odor-detecting skills were tested as they searched a makeshift house for five items “ including a duffle bag, shampoo bottle and water bottle “ that were dabbed with a particular scent.

By Round Three, the only K-9 teams remaining were #teamkai and #teamhunter, comprised of Red Bank, New Jersey, Police Officer Stan Balmer and his Belgian Malinois partner, Hunter.

Striving to beat #teamhunter's time of 2:46.13 navigating the physically-strenuous Doghouse obstacle course in Round Three, Detective Corporal McMahon and Kai sped seamlessly through ductwork, a tangled spider web, and up and down stairs before Kai heeded the command to apprehend a suspect protected by a bite suit.

Their time in the Doghouse: 1:02.46 to #teamhunter's time of 2:46.13.

Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon was jubilant and thanked Detective Corporal McMahon, the K-9 Section and all other Officers in the Agency for their skills and professionalism.

This is historic for the Morris County Sheriff's Office that has been around since 1739. Very significant. Here we have Corporal McMahon and Kai but the entire K-9 Unit is second to none, Sheriff Gannon said.

America's Top Dog is a very entertaining series but it also illuminates how natural and strong the law enforcement partnerships with canines can be, particularly when the dogs are as highly-trained, obedient and sensitive to their handlers as Kai is, Sheriff Gannon said.