K9 Zorro
After serving the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the citizens of Maryland for just over eight years, Acceleration Detection Canine Zorro retired on December 31, 2024.
During his career, K-9 Zorro and his handler, Deputy Chief Fire Marshal and OSFM K9 Commander John Nelson, have responded to and assisted investigators on countless fire scenes throughout the State.
K-9 Zorro has also assisted allied agencies on scenes in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the District of Columbia throughout his career. K-9 Zorro has met thousands of Marylanders through public education events, displays, and demonstrations.
Zorro, a black Labrador retriever, is currently 9 years and 8 months old and began his career at Puppies Behind Bars. This program trains incarcerated individuals to raise service dogs for veterans and first responders, facility dogs for police, and detection canines. Zorro was then acquired by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), where he began training in accelerant detection. Nelson and Zorro graduated in ATF ADC Class #117 in December 2016.
Known for their extraordinary sense of smell and steadfast commitment to their work, accelerant detection canines like Zorro have been instrumental in identifying accelerants such as gasoline, lighter fluid, kerosene, and even odorless solvents used in arson cases.
Zorro is a food-reward canine, which is the standard methodology ATF uses. The daily training and repetitions total over 130,000 times Zorro has eaten from Nelson’s hand over the 8 years of service. Now, Zorro can enjoy retirement and ring in the new year with a normal bowl of food.
K-9 Zorro is DCFM Nelson’s second ATF Accelerant Detection K-9. His former partner, K-9 Charlie, who passed away in 2018, worked from 2008 until 2016.
“The Accelerant Detection K-9 Program has been one of my job’s most rewarding and enjoyable parts. From working with these amazing dogs each day for the last 16 years to meeting some incredible investigators and touching the lives of children and adults alike during this time, I wouldn’t change a thing. The work these K-9s do each day to help solve the crime of arson is invaluable, and I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with these two dogs.” said Deputy Chief Nelson.
There are currently just under 70 ATF Accelerant Detection Canine teams across the United States & Canada.
K9 Zorro
Deputy Chief John Nelson and K9 Zorro during one of his son’s classroom presentations
