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.

Tom Duncan

Supervisor Chemist
,
DEA
Tom Duncan is a Supervisory Chemist at the Drug Enforcement Administration Special Testing and Research Laboratory.
See speaker

Dr. Melanie Uhde

Canine Researcher
Ph.D. biologist bridging neuroscience and applied K9 training, with research on motivation, stress, and resilience in working dogs.
See speaker

Michael Nezbeth

Founder
,
Grassroots K9
Michael Nezbeth is the Founder and Training Director of Grassroots K9, an internationally recognized canine training company specializing in law enforcement and working dog development.
See speaker
View all speakers
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