MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Nearly 90 K-9 teams from law enforcement agencies throughout the upper midwest will be in Minneapolis this weekend for regional trials, and the anticipated heat wave has organizers concerned.

The United States Police Canine Association Region 12 Police Dog Trials start Sunday when temperatures are expected to climb near 100 degrees.

"We're really concerned about this heat wave that's coming on because the heat is really hard on the bigger dogs," said Andy Stender, a K-9 unit trainer for Minneapolis Police.

Two veterinarians and two vet tech assistants from the University of Minnesota will be on site assisting with any heat related problems or injuries the dogs may encounter.

"If we see that any of the dogs are struggling and having problems with the heat we'll just end it right there," said Stender.

Stender said handlers must be attentive to their dogs' specific needs to protect them from heat exhaustion.

Minneapolis will have 12 teams competing, along with other teams from Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and Iowa.

The demonstration starts at 6:30 p.m. Sunday and will take place at DeLaSalle High School. This is a free event and law enforcement encourages the public to come down to see what the dogs are capable of.

NewsRadio 830 WCCO's Adam Carter Reports