Board Members & Instructors

PRESIDENT/INSTRUCTOR

With 36½ years in law enforcement, retired Chief Ray Jackson has spent his career proving that sometimes the best detective has four legs and an incredible nose.

Ray's passion for man-trailing began decades ago, alongside his Bloodhound partners Maggie, Molly, and Seamus, forming teams that have assisted police departments throughout the region in locating suspects, recovering evidence, and finding people when every minute mattered.

A member of the National Police Bloodhound Association (NPBA) since 1994, Ray became an NPBA instructor in 2001 and has dedicated his career to training the next generation of bloodhound handlers. His expertise has been recognized in the courtroom as well as in the field. Both Maggie (2002) and Molly (2008) had their training records and trailing work accepted in affidavits supporting search warrants, resulting in warrants that led to the recovery of stolen property and other evidence.

In 2005, Ray and Bloodhound Molly were honored with the NPBA Lifesaving Award after tracking a motor vehicle operator who fled the scene of a crash and was found unconscious and suffering from life-threatening injuries.

One of the team's memorable investigations came in 2012, when Ray and Molly assisted in the investigation of the "Pillowcase Bandit." Their work helped bring two suspects to justice after a six-month crime spree.

Never one to stop learning, Ray earned certification in Suspect Tactics and Perimeter Containment through the Connecticut Police Working Dog Association in 2014, followed by certification in Searching for Children with Special Needs through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 2016.

In 2015, Ray welcomed Bloodhound Seamus, training him as a second operational man-trailing K-9 for the Phillipston Police Department, continuing a tradition of excellence in police bloodhound work.

Recognizing the importance of preserving and advancing the art and science of man-trailing, Ray founded and serves as President of Northeast Houndsmen, a nonprofit organization dedicated to training, certifying, and supporting man-trailing teams. Through seminars, hands-on instruction, and mutual aid deployments, the organization helps agencies develop highly skilled K-9 teams ready to respond when called.

In addition to his leadership in the K-9 community, Ray has proudly served as a Part-Time Police Officer with the Phillipston Police Department for more than 30 years, continuing his commitment to public service long after retiring as chief.

Whether he's teaching a seminar, mentoring a new handler, or sharing stories about Maggie, Molly, and Seamus, Ray remains passionate about one mission: helping bloodhound teams become the very best partners they can be—because every successful trail has the potential to change, or even save, a life.

VICE PRESIDENT/INSTRUCTOR

34 years law enforcement retiring as Chief of Police. 9 years Bloodhound handler/owner.

TREASURER

INSTRUCTOR

34 years handling 5 patrol dogs.. Co-author of an article for Fire Chief magazine on searching for the missing person. Certified NASAR search manager. Attended seminars on advanced scent work, suspect tactics, tactical woodland tracking, advanced and tactical tracking, and Homeland Security training. K-9 Ajo (3rd partner) received an award from the Police Hall of Fame for the tracking and capture of two burglary suspects.

INSTRUCTOR

Bio comiong soon

INSTRUCTOR

25 years in law enforcement with the New Jersey State Park Police and retired as the Sergeant in charge of the K9 Unit.  She handled two Bloodhounds during her career.  She is a Police Specialty Dog Trainer, instructing for the Northeast Houndsmen, Cape May Sheriff Department in New Jersey, as well as the National Police Bloodhound Association. 

After moving to Maine upon retirement, she assisted the Maine State Police in restarting their Bloodhound program after a 40+ year hiatus.  She worked with their two teams, teaching them basic scent theory and training them in the field.  

She is now a Supervisory Instructor with the NPBA, and continues to train Patrol Dog teams as well as Bloodhound teams across the country.

INSTRUCTOR

He served 31 years in the Connecticut State Police. During that time he worked 7 years with K9 Octane, a German Shepherd patrol dog. He also worked 5 years with K9 Texas, a police Bloodhound certified in man trailing and scent discrimination.

Currently he is an instructor with the Northeast Houndsmen, the Cape May County Sheriff’s Office in New Jersey, and a supervisory instructor with the National Police Bloodhound Association, training Bloodhound teams as well as Patrol Dog teams across the country.

INSTRUCTOR

Retired New York K9 Officer of 20 years, and U.S. Army 101st Airborne veteran. Immediately following his retirement from the police department, he founded the Hope for Heroes Foundation.

INSTRUCTOR

Matt Notaro served as a City of Poughkeepsie Police officer prior to becoming a Westchester County Police K9 officer and trainer. Matt retired in 2015 after twenty-three years of service to the community. In addition, Matt is a Canine Instructor training first responder Handlers and their canines for service through the Northeast Houndsman organization.

INSTRUCTOR

33 years in law enforcement , 14 years as a k-9 handler. She is Co-Founder of the Comfort Dog Program for law enforcement agencies nationwide, helping bring crisis response and community support together.

Her former partners K-9 Clarence and K-9 Rosie, received the 2013 Top Dog Award from the NYC Animal Medical Center. They appeared twice at the White House, and K-9 Clarence is memorialized in a mural at the U.S. Capital.

In 2022, Laura teamed up with her partner, Ziva, a trained bloodhound. Certified in man-trailing and scent discrimination, the pair has assisted in locating missing individuals and provided critical guidance to police departments during investigations.