Roethlisberger Helps Colorado Parks & Wildlife Get New K9 Officer-In-Training

DENVER (CBS4) - Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers received their third K9 thanks in part to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. The dog will join CPW's pilot program for law enforcement and wildlife management training.

Samson, an 18-month old Belgian Malinois, began his month-long training to become a certified law enforcement K-9 on Thursday. He will be partnered with Ian Petkash, wildlife officer for the Lake George District.

In November, Petkash received a $12,000 grant from the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation at The Giving Back Fund. The quarterback was in town playing the Denver Broncos at the time.

Samson will be trained to detect the scents of bears, deer, elk, moose, mountain lions, pronghorn, trout, upland birds and waterfowl. He will also help officers when they relocated bears and mountain lions when they've had conflicts with humans.

RELATED: K9 Helps Colorado Parks And Wildlife Catch Poachers, Track Endangered Species

The training pilot program relies on public donations which fund cost of food, boarding, vet visits and training equipment. The agency has a GoFundMe page for the public to help.