LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Lots of people look forward to visiting the Asylum and Hotel Fear every year during the Halloween season, but this morning, some of the attractions’ very first visitors weren’t human beings, and they weren’t looking to get a big scare.
Come Friday, folks will be lining up at the Asylum to get their annual dose of fear, but Monday, the popular haunted attraction welcomed a different type of visitor.
“We set up several scenarios for three different types of detection dogs that’ll be here today,” says Steve Martinez, the owner and founder of Black Dog America.
“They’ll be searching for explosives, firearms, and narcotics, yes,” explains Andrea Moncivais, a K9 handler with Protective Force International.
K9s from PFI and their handlers were among the first to see this year’s setup, but for them, it wasn’t about getting a scare, but rather about honing their skills.
“It’s just a different scenario for the dogs to get through, it’s just different environments for them, you know. They usually don’t see haunted houses, but you know, it’s good stress for them to work through, so that when they do get put into serious situations, they’re not afraid or they don’t lash out,” says Moncivais.
She came to the Asylum with her partner, Heat, a rescued Red-nose Pit Bull. Heat’s not your typical working dog, but this isn’t your typical training session.
“I think she’s going to do great. She’s fearless, absolutely fearless. She’s a beast. I feel like she’s definitely kept me alive in a lot of situations that we’ve worked, huh, baby?”
However, there is much to distract Heat from her mission.
“There’s a lot of crazy things inside here; noises, lights flashing, different types of stairs and stuff for the dog to be comfortable with,” says Martinez.
Steve Martinez is the owner and founder of Black Dog America, a Las Vegas-based company that trains and certifies working K9s. Black Dog set up the training session.
“The dog has to be comfortable in an environment because you never know where he’s going to go, and he has to be efficient working on finding the odor, not worried about what he’s walking on,” he tells FOX5.
Despite the strange sights and sounds, the dogs’ sense of smell sniffed true and they passed their tests.
“I love working with dogs and everything that they’re capable of; it’s amazing what they can find, you know, from explosives down to cancerous cells in your body. Like, how do they do that? How do they know that? They’re amazing.”
Ten dogs and their handlers braved the haunted houses on Monday morning. Unfortunately, visitors of the human variety can’t get into either attraction for a few more days. Tickets are available online.
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