Salem Police Department’s K-9 Simon jumps over a fence during the competition on “America’s Top Dog” on A&E, a television show that features K-9 teams competing in tests of agility, speed, scenting and teamwork. The episode featuring K-9 Simon and his handler, Salem Police Patrolman Mike Garber, is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. March 11. (Photo by Nico Therin/A&E 2019)

SALEM — Team Simon fans get ready — the “America’s Top Dog” episode featuring K-9 Simon and his partner, Salem Police Patrolman Mike Garber, is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. March 11 on A&E.

“I’ve gone from excited to nervous,” Garber said.

After months of waiting to announce they were even on the show and then another couple months waiting to learn when people could see them, the time is almost here. That makes Garber nervous, mostly he said “because everybody’s going to get to watch now.” He said Simon’s great, he was more worried about what people would think of his performance since they’ll be in the spotlight.

The spotlight’s been on this pair for a while now, especially since news of their pending television debut broke late last year. After the story appeared in the Salem News and A&E issued a press release, the media requests started coming in from the local television stations, another area newspaper and television stations in Cleveland and Steubenville.

“I was very excited for all the publicity the K-9 unit was getting,” Garber said.

He’s even getting stopped in the grocery store, with people asking how he and Simon did on the television show. Even people getting arrested, including those in possession of narcotics, are asking when they’re going to be on television, which he found very interesting.

On the night the episode airs, Garber and several other K-9 handlers from Columbiana County will be in attendance at the official Watch Party at Boneshakers, just down the street from the police station on East Pershing Street. The fun begins at 7 p.m. March 11 so anybody who wants to come out and get something to eat before the show and get a good spot for watching the episode can come early.

“That way everybody can watch it together and can all cheer for Simon together. It’s a chance for all our fans and the general public to get together,” he said.

Garber said attendees should make reservations by calling 234-567-4671 ext. 1 so the restaurant can get an accurate count. He also suggested parties of four so all the tables can get filled. Close to 200 people possibly are expected to attend. Plans call for a 50/50 as a fundraiser for the K-9 program. He’s heard that some places and people are having their own watch parties, too.

“Everybody’s excited to see how we did, especially the people involved in the training,” he said.

Mum’s still the word, with Garber still keeping quiet about the results of the competition. This will be the last regular episode for the show, to be followed by a finale. He and the other contestants on the episode have been talking and decided the producers “saved the best for last.”

All the attention isn’t fazing Simon. According to Garber, Simon is all about working. He doesn’t care about TV or anything like that. He won’t be attending the Watch Party.

“I just hope everybody has a good time,” Garber said.

The idea behind taking part in the television show was to promote the K-9 teams, which rely on donations for just about everything for the dogs. A fund for the Salem K-9s was set up through the Salem Community Foundation from the beginning and continues to be used for their needs. The salaries for the handlers are paid through the police department through the city. The Salem Police Department K-9 teams include Simon and Garber and K-9 Argo and his handler Patrolman Steve LaRosa.

“All the publicity is what I wanted for the police department and the city — it’s all positive publicity,” Garber said.

Garber joined the department in January 2013 and is a U.S. Army Reserves veteran. Simon, a Belgian Malinois, was born in Holland in April 2015 and joined the department in August 2016.

“Simon is the community’s investment and this is a chance for everybody to see why we train so hard,” Garber said.

He said the community support has been amazing and he’s thankful for it. When he and Simon aren’t working the streets sniffing out narcotic odors or conducting searches of buildings or searching for people or suspects, they’re training. Even when they’re home, they’re out exercising. Simon just won an online contest for a free ticket to a training seminar based on the number of likes on his picture. The Blueline K-9 Training Conference will be held in April in Pittsburgh. Both Garber and LaRosa will attend as K-9 handlers and Sgt. Brent Slider will attend as a supervisor. Garber also has plans to attend a K-9 training in Connecticut in August. One of his fellow competitors on his episode is from Connecticut. Plans also call for participation in the annual Ohio Police and Fire Games.

To keep current on the Salem K-9s and the Salem Police Department, check out their social media pages. To learn more about “America’s Top Dog,” visit www.aetv.com.