Welcome to the Pawshank Redemption Challenge BETA TEST!

This is a new K9 scent detection game designed to test your team’s level of endurance and search management skills. Right now I am beta testing a set of rules to see if the challenge is doable.

HOW IT WORKS:

Each team is given a total max time to search three “locked” rooms plus a final outdoor vehicle search. (If weather does not allow for that, we will change to a final interior search.)

The search team gets four keys numbered 0-3. Three of those keys will open the exit doors for the three locked rooms. The number of hides in the room corresponds to the number on the key for that room. Each room has a unique key — no single key opens more than one room.

Teams start in the first room. A Gatekeeper/timer and a scorekeeper will follow you throughout the entire search. The timer will ask if you are ready; once you confirm, they will say TIME BEGINS. This will start the clock for your overall search time. The clock runs continuously throughout all four searches. The Gatekeeper/timer will give you a final one-minute warning. The Scorekeeper will keep track of your calls.

The team searches the room to determine how many hides it has. The handler must find hides and receive correct alert calls to attempt to use a key. So if you want to use the #2 key, you must find 2 hides correctly. Once the handler decides they know the correct key to use, they will tell the Gatekeeper which key number to try. The Gatekeeper will either open the door or tell them to keep searching. If incorrect, the team must keep searching to find the remaining hide(s).

Once the team opens the third locked room door they must rush outside to the escape vehicle search area. There will be 1-2 vehicles. There is a single hide on one of them – handler must receive a correct alert call and then call Finish to stop the clock.

Handlers who complete the challenge within the time frame with full points and no errors will receive a Pawshank Medal of Freedom. First, second and third place will receive ribbons.

The goal is to make it through each room successfully and find the escape vehicle key within the overall time limit. It is an endurance challenge!

RULES (so far):

• Each hide is worth 10 points.
• Each false alert is 1 error.
• Each incorrectly tried key is 1 error.
• If the team times out, they will receive 1 error.
• If a dog eliminates during the search, they will receive 4 errors and search will end.
• If time runs out or handler reaches max # of FAs, the team must stop searching and exit back to car from wherever they are.
• Max time: TBD
• Max false alerts allowed: TBD
• Hides can be accessible or inaccessible, but no hides over 4 feet high.
• Teams will be ranked by total points (most to least), errors (least to most), then total time remaining (most time to least time).