The very first Accelerant-Detecting Canine was a black Labrador Retriever named, “Mattie,” a year old youngster when Connecticut troopers acquired her from the Guide Dog Foundation and began her training in 1986. While there was an earlier dog named “Nellie” who finished the program in 1984 as a proof of concept (another purebred Labrador Retriever), Mattie was actually the first to be certified.  During her training, Mattie learned to detect 17 different odors even if only minuscule quantities of the flammable liquids were present. She became “operational” four months later, and the first search warrant based on an accelerant-detecting canine was served soon after.  More than once, Mattie and her handler, Connecticut State Police Trooper Douglas Lancelot, waited on scene for a fire to be extinguished, only for Mattie to “identify” the arsonist in the crowd of onlookers. Mattie had a famously sweet disposition and it was not unheard of for the Lab to alert on a suspected arsonist, then lick his hand.  Mattie, the first of 93 accelerant-detection canines trained by state police, worked for the Connecticut State Police for six years. She was involved in 400 arson investigations, and was featured on the CBS Evening News.  In 1992, Lancelot retired with Mattie. Sadly, she passed away in 1994 at his home.

Below is a slide show that includes many images of Mattie (click on “watch this video on You Tube):

https://youtu.be/zol2llI-52A

In November, 2016, State officials, state police and four arson dogs following in Mattie’s paw prints were on hand for the unveiling of a proposed monument in Mattie’s likeness. The sculpture will be a life-sized, one-of-a-kind bronze that will serve as a permanent tribute honoring all past, present and future arson canines who valiantly serve Connecticut’s citizens. The statue is being created by sculptor Austin Weishel, a volunteer firefighter and the award winning sculptor of the National Fire Dog Monument in Washington, DC.  It will be an enduring symbol of Connecticut’s place in history for creating the world’s first laboratory certified accelerant detection canine.  The statue’s dedication will be in 2017.