Introduction

Welcome to my Documentary Website. The documentary project was an immense research project I worked on during the beginning of 2018. The topic I chose for this project is the Mar-Ken International K9 Training Center, a company that trains both police dogs and protection dogs. This website showcases the many parts of this project that I have created throughout each of my classes including the final product, my book.

The Documentary unit was by far one of the most rewarding projects I have ever completed during my time in Freestyle Academy. The reason why it was so rewarding was because of the amount of work that was put into every aspect of the project from my English, Design, and Digital Media classes. The focus of the Documentary project is to answer the question: “How do you creatively and truthfully portray a significant person, group, place, idea or issue in the community?”. In my English class, we answered this question when creating the center of this project, the Documentary book. In my Design class, we worked with Adobe Indesign to design the layout of the book. In my Digital Media class, I worked to create this website using Adobe Dreamweaver, and learned how to use Adobe After Effects to produce a commercial created for the book. Though at some points it was challenging to complete each part of this project in each of my classes, I enjoyed every aspect produced throughout this section.

screenshot of Pro Tools interface

This is a screenshot of Pro Tools while I was in the process of creating the audio of the intro video, featuring my original piece of music.

screenshot of After Effects interface

This is a screenshot of Adobe After Effects while I was in the process of creating the intro video.

Book

thumbnail link to book production

The center of the Documentary Unit was the Documentary book. This book is the product of many hours of hard work, whether through writing or designing, taking photos or conducting and transcribing interviews. This project allowed me to step out of my comfort zone, and I am so proud of each part of this project.

The final book, titled “The Other End of The Leash” can be reached through clicking the graphic to the left.

Through the many factors in producing the book, I enjoyed learning more about the company and watching these incredible dogs train. The overall goal in creating this book was to not only educate the reader on the Mar-Ken International K9 Training Center, but also some of the current challenges these dogs and their handlers have to face. I also enjoyed being in control of each part of the book: the layout, font, color scheme, graphics, photos, etc. Being in control of these allowed me to have more freedom in creating the final product.

screenshot of Adobe InDesign interface

This is a screenshot of Adobe InDesign, while I was in the process of creating the Documentary Book.

" ...A lot of it is knowing your dog, and understanding when it’s appropriate to use the dog and when it’s not appropriate to use the dog. "
~Wes Hansen

Gallery

  • Mar-Ken International logo
  • K9 Officer Cash
  • Training Equipment
  • K9 Officer Atlas Bitework
  • Rip Before Track
  • K9 Patrol Cars
  • Gaze of a Dog
  • Bite Sleeve Prize After Track
  • Willie, Wes, Marv & Erik
  • K9 Patrol Car
  • Rogue
  • Perspective
  • Erik Emptage
  • Gustav
  • Track Leash
  • K9 Officer Luna

Bios

During this project, I conducted 3 interviews with the following people. Their words not only made an important impact on my book through adding personal experiences, but also helped me to stay inspired throughout the project.

Name of person 1
Marv Gangloff

As the founder and director of the Mar-Ken International K9 Training Center, Marv has a hand in all training that goes on. He has served as a police officer for 20 years and trained dogs for 45 years, and was inspired to begin training because of his love for dogs and his want to have a K9 partner while working as a police officer. Throughout his many years of experience, he has learned how to work with many different kinds of people and how training the dog is often easier than teaching a person.

Name of person 2
Melissa Gangloff

Being Marv’s daughter, dogs have been an integral part of Melissa’s life. From growing up with them as pets and training at age 7, she now works as a manager of an animal hospital while also training with Mar-Ken. Like her father, Melissa loves dogs and though at times she admits it can be frustrating, she is driven to help owners work with their dogs efficiently.

Name of person 3
Officer Wes Hansen

Wes Hansen is a current police officer for the Santa Cruz PD, and has been training with Mar-Ken for two years. He currently works alongside his K9 partner Cash, an energetic 3 year old Belgian Malinois. Wes has worked with his department’s SWAT team for 11 years, and throughout his time as a handler, he has learned the importance of patience when working with his K9 partner.