Bensalem Police Dog Wins TV Contest

BENSALEM, PA — A police dog from Bensalem got some national attention Wednesday night, when he and his handler won top honors in a nationally televised competition.

Bowie and his handler, Officer Robert Schwarting, topped four competitors to win on A&E show "America's Top Dog." For the win, Bowie and Schwarting got $10,000 and their chosen charity, Women's Animal Center in Bensalem, got $5,000.

As the winners on Wednesday's episode, they'll return to the show to compete for the "America's Top Dog" title and $25,000.

On the show, police dogs and one civilian agility dog compete each episode on a K9 obstacle course built to represent real-world situations. They are tested on speed, agility, and teamwork by completing a series of expert tasks on a massive obstacle course including navigating a complex maze for scented items and apprehending and taking down a suspect in a bite suit, among a variety of other challenges.

On the episode that aired Wednesday, the contest started with Canine Combine, an agility course that tests speed and agility. Bowie had a brief hiccup the first time he approached a four-foot wall, but still finished with a blistering time of about 2 minutes, 28 seconds — by far the fastest of the five dogs competing.

Next, in the maze-like Boneyard, Bowie was solid again, sniffing out three of five scented items in 3 minutes, 12 seconds. That was the second-best effort among the four remaining dogs and advanced him, and Schwarting, to the final round.

In a steady rain, Bowie and Schwarting worked their way through the tricky Dog House in just over 1 minute, 56 seconds. That was about eight seconds faster than the night's other finalist, Pele, a police dog from Seattle.

"It's awesome," Schwarting said after the win. "I didn't think everything went our way during that challenge, but he pulled it off."

Bowie and Schwarting have earned numerous awards in local and regional competitions. The producers of "America's Top Dog" chose them to represent the east coast on the show.

Earlier in the episode, Schwarting explained that, at about 50 pounds, the 4-year-old Bowie is small for a Belgian malinois. But he said that's never slowed Bowie down.

"What he lacks in size, he makes up for in intensity and agility," Schwarting said on the show.

On Tuesday, Women's Animal Center — which was founded in 1869 and is believed to be the oldest animal rescue in the United States — will say thank you for their $5,000 prize. They're hosting a ceremony for Schwarting and Bowie at 2 p.m. at their shelter at 3839 Richlieu Rd. in Bensalem.

There will be an award presentation and remarks by officials, including Bensalem Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo and Director of Public Safety Fred Harran.

"The Bensalem Police are proud of Officer Schwarting and his K9 partner Bowie," Harran said. "We know they are a great team that not only protects our community but brings smiles to many of its faces. Now the entire country knows that too."

"America's Top Dog" airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on A&E. You can watch Wednesday's episode featuring Bowie at the link.