Unregulated & Misunderstood: Fixing the Commercial Detection Dog Industry with Dan Donovan

In this eye-opening episode, I sit down with Dan Donovan, Founder and Managing Partner of Stratoscope, Ingressotek, Ford K9, and Stratos K9, who recently acquired For Canine and became my business partner. Dan has 30 years in event security, working 13 Super Bowls and 7 Olympic Games, and he's here to expose the hard truths about detection dogs in the private sector.

What We Cover:

• Why 90% of event security professionals don't understand what K9 teams actually do
• The shocking reality of an unregulated industry (18-year-old security guards need certification, but K9 handlers don't?)
• Real incidents from major events - when private dogs saved the day vs. when they failed
• The "second dog" problem that wastes time and creates false confirmations
• Why handler training matters MORE than dog training
• Breaking down barriers: why former military/LE background shouldn't be a requirement
• How to actually evaluate K9 providers (stop hiring "Scooby Doo" detection services)

Dan shares real stories from the field, including a tense situation at a 40,000-person tech conference where a dog alert could have shut down the entire event. We discuss the trust gap between law enforcement and private K9 teams, the punishment culture that makes handlers afraid to call alerts, and what needs to change industry-wide.

This episode opens with me presenting Dan with a Naval Special Warfare Multi-Purpose Canine Program challenge coin - one of the rarest coins in the K9 world - as a symbol of trust and partnership.

Whether you're a handler, trainer, event security professional, or just interested in detection dogs, this conversation will change how you think about commercial K9 operations.

Dan Donovan's Companies:🔗 Stratoscope (Event Security Consulting): https://stratoscope.com🔗 Ingressotek (Weapons Detection Technology): https://ingressotek.com🔗 Stratos K9 (K9 Deployment): https://stratosk9.com🔗 Ford K9 (K9 Training & Certification): [Add link if available]🔗 Dan Donovan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ddonovan50/

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:01:09 - Opening & Challenge Coin Presentation

00:03:18 - Dan Donovan's Background & Stratoscope

00:05:12 - The Gap in Event Security (Proactive vs Reactive)

00:08:58 - 90% Don't Understand What K9s Do

00:10:30 - Trust Issues: Law Enforcement vs Private K9s

00:13:18 - San Francisco Conference Crisis Story

00:16:25 - The "Second Dog" Problem

00:17:44 - The Unregulated Industry Revelation

00:19:34 - Certification vs Documentation

00:21:04 - Real-World Handler Failures (0-for-3 Story)

00:23:41 - Handler Training Crisis

00:25:15 - What Handlers Should Actually Be

00:27:00 - Technology Parallels (Nvidia & Ingressotek Example)

00:29:06 - The Punishment Culture Problem

00:32:11 - Breaking Down Industry Barriers

00:33:08 - Success Story: From DJ to Top Handler

00:34:23 - Industry Education Needs

00:35:23 - Building Trust Through Knowledge

00:36:08 - Final Thoughts & Wrap-Up