Learn from nationally recognized K9 expertise

Instruction shaped by real-world K9 deployment, operational decision-making, and courtroom accountability.

August 25, 2026
Kathryn McConnell
Register for HITS 2026View full speakers list
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Kathryn McConnell, President, Nevada Operational Canine Medical Group

About
Kathryn McConnell

Kathryn McConnell is a founding member and president of the Nevada Operational Canine Medical Group and a veterinarian specializing in emergency and critical care for working K9 teams.

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Featured session at HITS 2026

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Aug 25th, 2026
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4:00 pm
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6:00 pm

Heat Kills K9s: A Preventable Line-of-Duty Death

Details

Operational K9s routinely work in high-intensity environments that place them at significant risk for heat-related injury. Unlike humans, dogs have limited mechanisms for dissipating heat and can rapidly develop dangerous elevations in.

Recognize heat stress early and act—thermoregulation, risk factors, monitoring, and rapid cooling that prevent the leading line-of-duty death in working dogs.
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Other classes

8:00 am
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10:00 am

Heat Kills K9s: A Preventable Line-of-Duty Death

Aug 27th, 2026
Kathryn McConnell
View details
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Learn from
Kathryn McConnell
at
HITS K9

Join national-scale K9 education designed to strengthen deployment judgment, legal defensibility, and long-term operational performance.

Register for HITS 2026View full speakers list

See who else is teaching at HITS

HITS brings together prosecutors, scientists, federal advisors, and operational trainers whose instruction reflects real-world deployment and courtroom scrutiny.

Brad Gillespie

President
,
Canadian Police Canine Association
Senior trainer and president of the Canadian Police Canine Association, specializing in operations-based K9 team development.
See speaker

Dr. Kelvin Frank

Forensic Science Lecturer
,
FIU
Assistant professor at FIU’s Global Forensic and Justice Center, leading canine detection science, standards, and the International Commission on Detector Dogs (ICODD).
See speaker

Rob Downey

Founder
,
Annamaet Petfoods
Founder of Annamaet Pet Foods focused on nutrition science and heat stress prevention for operational K9s.
See speaker
View all speakers
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