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Detective Corporal Michael McMahon and his K-9 partner, a Belgian Malinois named Kaiser ('Kai' for short), took home the grand prize of $25,000 on Wednesday night's episode.
The pair first honed their skills as one of the show’s 50 K-9 teams on an episode titled "The Battle of the Garden State," which aired in February.
They beat out the competition and moved on to the finale, where they bested six other K-9 teams and ranked highest in all three rounds of mazes and obstacle courses.
"So proud of Corporal McMahon and K-9 Kai for being designated America's Top Dog (and handler),” said County Sheriff James Gannon, who congratulated the pair in a Facebook post.
“This is the level of service expected and delivered on a daily basis to the people of Morris County.”
McMahon has trained and certified various dogs in all aspects of K-9 skills, earning the official title of K-9 trainer in December 2016. Three years later, he earned the title of Supervising K-9 Trainer.
McMahon and Kai also received a shout-out from Hanover Police, many of whom have worked with the pair on suspect tracks and drug searches, the department said.
“We always knew they were a great team, now America knows."
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