Riverside

Police officers, first responders and veterans from across the country gathered last Saturday for the annual Hero Hunt at Highland Hideaway Hunting Grounds in Riverside.

Many participants came from Iowa, while others traveled from Tennessee, Kentucky, Arizona, Ohio, Wisconsin and Massachusetts.

The event has been held for more than 15 years as a way to thank veterans, first responders, law enforcement officers and others who serve. Organizer Ryan Giannini has led the event since its beginning.

Giannini said the hunt began as a partnership with Linn County Pheasants Forever before organizers began hosting it independently.

 “The original hunt was with Pheasants Forever out of Linn County. They came to us because they wanted to do something to give back to veterans and law enforcement. For years it was a partnership that we had with Linn County Pheasants Forever. And it's funny because they got involved with Kinetic Dog Food, and a lot of their customer base is military law enforcement, so that was super helpful.”

Along with organizing the event, Giannini runs Highland Hideaway Hunting Grounds with his wife, Kate Giannini.

Many volunteers were former military service members, including Green Berets.

About 45 people signed up this year, with roughly 60% being officers, first responders or veterans. Organizers allow about 60 participants each year and provide food and drinks after the hunting and competitions conclude.

In previous years, participants hunted early in the morning before returning for competitions, food and drinks. Last year’s hot weather forced organizers to stop the hunt early, prompting them to focus this year’s event on shooting courses instead. Some participants were invited to return for a hunt the following morning.

This year’s courses included a rifle station; a pistol station and a shotgun sporting clays course. Jax Weber of Keota won the rifle short course and received a .223 rifle.

Washington Police Department officer Noah Kleese won the pistol competition, while Sgt. Nolan Burke of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office won the sporting clays competition. Both officers received plaques.

After the competitions and awards, participants enjoyed food, beverages and a cornhole tournament.

Among the event’s sponsors was Kinetic Dog Food, represented by owner, co-founder and CEO Dave Dourson. He was excited to discuss two new products for companion pets.

“We’ve actually developed two new products that are geared more towards the companion pet. One of the products is called CORE, and the other is Vital, and they’ve been doing exceptionally well.”

Founded in 2011, the company has been in business for 15 years. Dourson discussed how consumers’ understanding of dog food has changed during that time.

“One of the biggest things is the consumer's awareness as to how to read a nutrition label. Consumers demand to have a better product and something that they can understand and read the label. So, there's been some changes in labeling requirements from the government, which is kind of neat.”

As the dog food market has grown and competition has increased, Dourson said companies have had to adapt. He compared those changes to the rise of craft beer and its influence on established beer brands.

“Now you have all these microbrews, and the thing that's kind of neat about microbrews is that they've raised and elevated the quality of some of the mainstream brands. So, you are seeing that in dogs. I think all in all, it's helped because it's created more awareness of the industry, and it's made some of the mainstay companies take a little bit deeper look into their practices and raise their quality standard.”

Dourson said Kinetic focuses on food for working dogs, including military and law enforcement canines, and supplies food for dogs serving in Washington, D.C.

“So probably one of the neatest groups is we deal with a lot on the southern border and the northern border. We've actually sent food to Syria to forward operating bases. It's not inexpensive to do, but when the life of somebody depends on the performance of the dog, you take it very seriously.”

Kinetic Dog Food is available through the company’s website, Chewy.com, Walmart.com and some brick-and-mortar stores.

Paul Curtis of Sniff Industries also attended the event. The company manufactures detection training equipment for dogs used by law enforcement and the military.

Curtis started Sniff Industries in 2019 after retiring from a 22-year career as a police officer. The business grew out of equipment ideas he developed while training dogs in the 2000s.

Although the career change meant a substantial pay cut, Curtis said it was worthwhile. “I took a 60% pay cut” and “never regretted it for a second.”

Curtis brought several pieces of equipment that he said are patented or going through the patent process, including the R.O.I.D. (Retrievable Odor Imprinting Device), Tactical Acuity Board and CORT System 2.0 Decoy Box.

Sponsors included Kinetic Dog Food, Sniff Industries, Cargill, Big Groove Brewery and others.

For many officers, first responders and veterans, the annual Hero Hunt offers an opportunity to connect with others who serve, meet officers from different agencies and enjoy a Saturday of recreation and camaraderie.