New Zealand’s Top Dog with a Job for 2025 was more worried about where his dad had gone than taking out a national prize.
Boss, the accelerant-detecting German Shepherd from Invercargill is the trusty sidekick of Triple M Investigations director Murray Milne-Maresca, who was away on Thursday when the winning announcement was made.
Maria Milne-Maresca accepted the award on behalf of the two diligent detectives.
Whenever her husband was away from home, Boss tended to be very quiet and refused to eat for the first day until he adjusted to the change, she said.
Boss was New Zealand’s only canine specifically trained to detect accelerant.
The dynamic duo worked studiously together to detect flammable substances in the challenging environment of suspicious fire scenes.
Mr Milne-Maresca said Boss was always dressed from top to toe in customised personal safety equipment while on the job.
"Boss is a superstar — reliable, professional and calm under pressure. The 10million scent receptors on the canine’s nose could detect a single drop of accelerant in an Olympic-size swimming pool."
He can detect accelerants days after a fire has been extinguished.
"He’s a life saver and a partner I can trust in the most dangerous situations."
Winning this prize had been "now or never" situation as Boss was due to retire in the next 12 months, Mr Milne-Maresca said.
"He’s done his bit. He’s been working behind the scenes since he was a pup."
Boss won a $1000 prize package including a well-earned trophy.
