From the North: 275 South to Michigan Ave. Michigan Ave. East, go 2 blocks East of Venoy to Cadillac St. Turn South on Cadillac, go 100 yards to the fenced parking lot.

From the West: 94 East to 275 North. 275 North to Michigan Ave. Michigan Ave. East, go 2 blocks East of Venoy to Cadillac St. Turn South on Cadillac, go 100 yards to the fenced parking lot.

From the South: 275 North to Michigan Ave. Michigan Ave. East, go 2 blocks East of Venoy to Cadillac St. Turn South on Cadillac, go 100 yards to the fenced parking lot.

From Downriver: Van Born Rd. West to Venoy (1 mile West of Merriman). North on Venoy to Michigan Ave. East on Michigan Ave. go 2 blocks to Cadillac St. At Cadillac turn South, go 100 yards to the fenced parking lot.

IF YOU ARE USING MAP QUEST the directions will place you on the wrong side of Michigan Ave. K9 Academy is located on the south side of Michigan Ave.  See the directions above to place you in our fenced in parking lot and entrance to the building.

Portion of Article from POAM

When veteran Wayne police officer Terry Foley decided to build a training facility for law enforcement police dogs, he was determined not to cut any corners.

A thorough tour of Foley's completed K9 Academy Training Facility in Wayne (located approximately 20 miles west of Detroit) will convince you that the 25-year law enforcement veteran thought of everything.

Located at 3441 Filbert, just off of busy Michigan Ave., Foley's complex is located in a 4,200-square-foot building that formerly housed a motorcycle shop. Foley completely gutted the building's interior and rebuilt it into one of the premier K-9 training facilities in Michigan, if not the United States.

The two-story academy is equipped with a variety of training devices, including ramps and agility courses that can simulate actual scenarios police dogs and their handlers encounter on a daily basis. There are also state-of-the-art boarding rooms for dogs and grooming facilities, as well as off-site houses and industrial buildings that can be utilized for specialized training.

"We are currently training 50 law enforcement K-9 teams," said Foley, who has been a K-9 officer for the past 20 years. "Most of the teams we're training now are from the Detroit and mid-Michigan area.

Foley's academy specializes in offering weekly maintenance training to full-service and single-purpose K-9 teams. Among the programs covered are:

*Narcotics detection/patrol -- consists of obedience, narcotics detection, tracking, building search, area search, evidence search, aggression control and tactical control and apprehension;

*Explosive detection/patrol -- consists of obedience, explosive detection, tracking, building search, area search, evidence search, aggression control and tactical control and apprehension;

*Hospital security -- consists of obedience, explosive detection, pet therapy and any other area discussed for needs by administration;

*Narcotics detection only -- consists of obedience and narcotics detection; and

*Explosive detection only -- consists of obedience and explosive detection.

"Dogs and handlers are certified by an independent organization and by the K9 Academy Training Facility," Foley said. "Handlers will be required to join the independent organization prior to certification. Our curriculum also includes extensive K-9 law, report writing, court testifying, first aid, firearms training with K-9 and much more."

The academy's staff consists of either current or retired K-9 officers, Foley stressed.

Foley said his academy is unique in the metropolitan Detroit area because it offers a supervised comprehensive maintenance program.

"There is an academy in Oakland County, but it doesn't offer a maintenance program like we do," said Foley, who is certified as a master trainer with the National Association of Professional Canine Handlers . "We offer a supervised maintenance program that consists of a minimum of 16 hours each month. We cover all the aspects involved in this profession, including legal issues and updates in training."

Every October, Foley and the NAPCH hosts a week-long tactical seminar at the Phelps-Collins Air Force Base in Alpena Michigan.

"Our staff also travels to several national seminars throughout the United States to learn new tactics that are being used," Foley said.

Foley said the use of K-9 teams within law enforcement agencies has leveled off over the past five years due to budget crunches.

"Departments are maintaining their K-9 units, but there isn't a lot of growth," he said.

The K9 Academy's program consists of three phases:

Phase 1 -- Teams attend training classes at the facility four days a week (Monday through Thursday) for the first month. An average training day is eight to 10 hours (128 class hours).

Phase 2 -- Over the second and third months, teams visit the facility twice a week , in most instances, dogs and handlers are certified during this phase.

Phase 3 -- Once the team is certified, training is reduced to one day a week or a minimum of two days a month. This phase is referred to as "maintenance training".

"We don't pre-train dogs," Foley stressed. "We demand that the dogs we train are friendly and social".

Foley said special schedules can be designed for agencies that are located long distances away from the facility.

"I would encourage all K-9 law enforcement teams that are considering a training facility come and visit ours and observe the training first-hand," Foley stressed.

"This way, we could answer all their questions and save them valuable time and money."

For more information on the facility, contact Foley at (734) 641-9507.

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