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
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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.

Fred Helfers

Owner
,
Fred Helfers Consulting
Retired detective and detection dog trainer specializing in double-blind certification exercises for narcotics, explosives, and accelerant detection teams.
See speaker

Mike Lilley

Owner
,
MLK9
Mike Lilley is a professional K9 trainer with extensive experience in law enforcement, working dogs, and operational deployments.
See speaker

Garret Wing

Founder
,
American Standard Dog Training
Retired law enforcement lieutenant and founder of American Standard Dog Training and DIYK9.com, specializing in e-collar systems and working K9 training.
See speaker
View all speakers
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