
ALGONA — Puma flies down the field at 35 mph. And when she puts the bite on you she is still soaring at 35 mph.
The first time that happened to 185-pound Nick Priester, the 3-year-old, 45-pound Dutch Shepherd knocked him to the ground and made an impression he will never forget.
“I just sat there like a ragdoll and was wondering what just happened,” Priester said. “Are you serious? A little dog just did that.”
Two years later Puma and Priester have been able to co-exist on the training field at the Algona Wastewater Treatment Plant. Algona Police Officer Ben Gatton has been using Priester to help Puma with bite training.
“It is apprehension training where we are out in the field and guys take off out running and Nick is filling in the role of the guy she would bite,” Gatton said. “I’m teaching her when to bite, how to bite and come off the bite correctly.”
For more on this story, see the Nov. 24 issue of the Algona Upper Des Moines.