Thomas was a police dog handler for 9 years and after an illustrious career, he and his police dog, Stoney, were inducted into the VT Police K9 Hall of Fame. He was named Handler of the Year 6 times (3 overall and 3 for drug detection), received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Veterinary Medical Association, was a long-time chairman of the VT Police K9 Committee (that oversaw 50 police dog teams), received 3 Distinguished Service Awards, 2 Lifesaving Awards and a Certificate of Appreciation from the DEA for his major contributions to their organization. He and Stoney still hold the VT state record for most on-duty drug finds (over a thousand) and their accomplishments have forged a reputation as one of the best police dog teams in the history of the state.

Thomas became a skilled, innovative, and “cutting edge” police dog trainer through the academy. He was renowned for bringing the teams under his command to their highest level, including two that later joined him in the Police K9 Hall of Fame. He led a yearly training session at the academy with all 50 police dogs in attendance and added to his experience by completing 2 internationally known instructor development courses in St. Louis and Washington, D.C. While his classmates were out having a good time, Thomas was taking meticulous notes and putting together PowerPoint presentations to show everyone back home what he had learned. To say that he knew training dogs was his lifelong endeavor is an understatement.

Thomas retired from police work in 2016 and then ventured into the pet dog training arena. He quickly rose to the top of this field, gaining a reputation for being the place to go if you had any dog behavior problems. With a state-of-the-art training center, a one-mile-long outside agility course, and multiple trainers, his company had dogs from all over New England attending his courses with a great success rate. A move in early 2023 to his home state of NH, and the purchase of a 42-kennel dog boarding and training facility with his wife Terrie, he has added to his knowledge base (he interacts with dogs all day, every day). Today he spends the majority of his time working in the kennels and using his vast experience to solve a myriad of problems that come to him via the Radford K9 Training Programs.

Thomas combines his decades of police dog training knowledge with current principles and his own one-of-a-kind concepts (his Uncle Eddy was a world-renowned scientist so high-end thinking is a family trait)!

Working with Thomas, you will learn how to be the calm, confident leader of your dog, how to be efficient at communicating to your dog in a timely manner, and how to have a dog that listens and responds to each command, to name just a few techniques, tactics, and philosophies. Thomas’ teachings are straight forward, efficient, effective, and easy to understand. He will hold you accountable, as he has done for hundreds of police dog handlers, and will expect you to hold yourself AND your dog to his high standards. Thomas has done all of the work for you, so all you have to do is rely on his guidance and expertise. The success of your dog is up to you with the effort you put into it. Finding the right path in the very crowded world of dog training is difficult, so let a Police K9 Hall of Fame Dog Trainer lead you down the path of success, the one he has led thousands of others down. He will be invested in your success and will work with you and your family to formulate the best game plan that works for your specific dog.