police dog.

Astrid Stawiarz, Getty Images Josh Hartnett has the cutest traveling companion. The hunky star was recently caught going through security at LAX with his furry new friend. We wouldn't blame TSA for giving the puppy a bit of a pat-down. One Chicago police officer's retirement was slightly overshadowed by the retirement of her short, hairy partner. Sandra La Porta gave 31 years to the job, but her partner, a police dog named Lakos, put in 63... in dog years. Plus, Lakos brought a rubber bone to the ceremony. No one can compete with that. Old dogs might provide insight into new tricks to improve human health. Purdue University is studying some unusually old rottweilers that have dodged ...

A policeman in Houston is mourning the loss of his Czech-German shepherd, who was killed in the line of duty after more than three years on the job, reports The Houson Chronicle. The dog, Blek, ran into a marsh while pursuing burglary suspects. When the faithful canine didn't return, Harris County Precinct 4 deputy constable Ted Dahlin and other officers began searching for him. "My lieutenant and sergeant found him," Dahlin said. "My sergeant met me before I got there, held me back, and gave me a hug. I knew at that point what happened." One of the suspects had strangled Blek to death. According to Dahlin, the 5-year-old dog was his best friend. "He was doing his job," Dahlin told the ...

Flickr/Svadilfari On Nov. 9, a police dog bit a man who was trying to defend his home from a would-be burglar. Tim Crossan, of Eugene, Ore. had just broken his hand on the face of the intruder when police, responding to a call, flooded into his home and ordered their K9 unit to attack Mr. Crossan. In the confusion, the burglar escaped and Mr. Crossan was bitten twice. The police have yet to apologize for this incident, although they described it as "unfortunate." At least they went on to say that Crossan, who had protected his wife and children, was "heroic." Dogs have been used officially to help police officers since the late 1850s in Germany, when they were first employed purely as a ...

Officer Ricky Valenzuela and his K-9 partner Ugo on the job. Photo: Ricky Valenzuela What animal lover hasn't daydreamed about ditching their desk job and applying for a job at the zoo? Or at a doggy daycare? Or tracking gorillas in Africa? We sure have, but since most of us may never actually get to work with the animals we love, we thought we'd introduce you to a few people who do. Name: Ricky Valenzuela Age: 28 Job: Police K-9 Officer, Mountain View Police Department How long have you been a police K-9 officer? Two years. Before that, I was a regular patrol officer. Please describe what you do. I'm basically a patrol officer and I have the K-9 dog, Ugo (pronounced "you go") ...