Greensburg Bloodhound Team completes annual certification

TribLive TribLive Wed, May 7, 2025 • 12:01 PM

Members of the Greensburg Bloodhound Team recently completed certification with the National Police Bloodhound Association. They worked with dozens of other handlers during the 40-hour training. Pictured are: association instructors Joe Moll and Rod Johnson, Greensburg Bloodhound Team handlers and dogs Elysia Battistella and Pita, Doug Fordyce and Rocky, Dave Jackson and Delsie, Gregory Saunders II and Marley, Dave Klingler and Greg Saunders. Also pictured are Indiana Borough Police Officer Mike Clawson, Crawford County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Windbigler and South Fayette Township Police Sgt. Mike Wesolek and Ellie.

Members of the all-volunteer Greensburg Bloodhound Team recently completed their annual certification during a training session in Maryland.

The certification isn’t required in Pennsylvania, said Commander Lou Battistella, but “it’s a plus if you’re asked to take your bloodhound testimony into court.”

The team has been in existence since 1969 as part of the Greensburg Fire Department. Members completed a rigorous program in Maryland with instructors from the National Police Bloodhound Association, which included eight hours of classroom instruction and 32 hours of fieldwork. To earn the one-year certification, handlers must complete at least 15 scent trails.

A handler doesn’t get called to testify in court very often, Battistella said. The team responded to 36 calls from police agencies in the region in 2024.

Those participating in the training were Battistella, Deputy Commander Bud Mertz, both of whom are association-certified instructors with decades of experience on the team, and Special Sworn Deputies Dave Klingler, David Jackson, Elysia Battistella, Greg Saunders Sr., Gregory Saunders II, Doug Fordyce and Scott Stepanovich. Their canine partners were Delphie, Darcy, Pita, Delsie, Marley and Rocky.

Jackson and Saunders II got high praise for their work with Delsie and Marley — 16-month-old sisters —through complex trailing scenarios.

The group was among participants from around the country during the training session. Thirty-three bloodhounds have served on the team since its inception.