ICYMI: Florida Fire Dog Advances In National Contest

CLEARWATER, FL — Clearwater Fire & Rescue’s four-legged arson investigator has a nose for sniffing out trouble. He also seems to have a knack for winning over hearts and votes as evidenced by his recent advance into the American Humane Hero Dog Awards’ semifinal round.

Quincy was among the three semifinalists named Wednesday afternoon in the award program’s law enforcement/arson category. The plucky near retiree is also the only remaining fire department dog in the field of 21 semifinalists.

Voting to determine the eight finalists has officially opened and will continue through June 28. If Quincy makes it to the last leg of the competition, he and his owner, Clearwater’s assistant fire marshal Ronald Neuberger, will be flown to Hollywood this fall for a “star-studded awards gala,” the city wrote in an email to media. The finalists will be named in each category on July 12.

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“We are both so thankful of the support that everyone gave us during the first round of competition,” Neuberger told Patch. “We are hoping that the same support can come to us for the second and hopefully final rounds of the competition.”

Neuberger and Quincy have been together since the Labrador-mix was a pup. Neuberger wasn’t so sure he wanted a dog, but his wife and then 9-year-old daughter talked him into stopping by a shelter to check out a little guy they had fallen in love with.

“I was done as soon as I saw him,” Neuberger admitted about his first encounter with Quincy during a quick stop on his way home from work.

That was more than eight years and 100 arrests ago.

Vote for Quincy in the Hero Dog awards.

Quincy was about 6 months old at the time, adopted by the Neuberger family from Pet Pal Animal Shelter in St. Petersburg. While Neuberger admits he “fell in love with him” on day one, it didn’t take the veteran fire investigator long to realize there was more to Quincy than met the eye. The energetic puppy had an uncanny ability to track, and “his nose was always in the air sniffing and smelling. He just had something about him.”

Neuberger quickly came to the conclusion Quincy would make a good accelerant-detecting dog. Since Pinellas County fire departments had been without such a specially trained dog for about two years at the time, Neuberger and Quincy went through training together. When Neuberger moved to Clearwater Fire & Rescue, Quincy came along with him. Since then, the two have been working fire scenes throughout the Tampa Bay area. They’ve worked on cases in Pinellas, Manatee, Polk, Hillsborough and Pasco counties, among others, Neuberger said.

Quincy’s keen ability to sniff out petroleum-based accelerants hasn't just made him a bit of a celebrity on fire scenes across the region: It’s also resulted in many closed cases and dozens of arrests.

“He’s put over 100 people in jail,” Neuberger said. “He helps us with our investigation and cuts our investigation (time) in half.”

The annual hero dog awards program is a campaign of American Humane, an organization that has been dedicated to “promoting the welfare and safety of animals and strengthening the bond between animals and people” for more than 100 years.

As Quincy enjoys his time in the spotlight, he’s also preparing for retirement and helping train his replacement, Pyro. Neuberger said Quincy is scheduled to retire later this summer with Pyro taking over in the field. The border collie/blue tick mix pup is learning fast under Quincy’s watchful eye – and nose — Neuberger said. The pup has also joined Quincy and the rest of the Neuberger family’s pack at their home.

As for the opportunity to win a big award, Neuberger said, it would “be a wonderful way for Quincy to go out on retirement by being selected as the National Hero Dog."

Neuberger, however, admitted it’s a bittersweet time as Quincy’s retirement nears.

As for why folks should vote for Quincy, Neuberger had this to say:

“He is amazing in what he does.”

To vote for Quincy, visit the Hero Dog Awards online.

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Photo courtesy of Clearwater Fire & Rescue