This week, the Loudoun County Sheriffs Office and Virginia Bloodhound Search and Rescue Association held their 17th annual training seminar for man-trailing bloodhounds in Loudoun County.

The seminar, July 13 through 18 at the Institute Farm in Aldie, provided training to those important members of law enforcement. Volunteer search-and-rescue groups also received training to provide vital assistance at crime and search-and-rescue scenes.

The attendees received about 40 hours of classroom training and fieldwork. The purpose is to give bloodhound handlers and their hounds the best possible training so that their utilization will benefit the citizens of their states and surrounding areas.

More than 35 handlers from around the country and as far away as Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Brazil attended the training sessions, which took place in Leesburg, Aldie and Middleburg.

Co-host of the event, the Virginia Bloodhound Search and Rescue Association, provides continuous training and education for bloodhounds, handlers and support personnel to improve and develop capabilities to insure competent and capable bloodhound teams.