Posts tagged "police dog"

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 cancer and other common diseases to determine whether the dogs' health can help humans live longer.

Blind woman terrified as her two dogs were attacked in a California barn... by a rattlesnake. Fortunately, she and her mother were able to get them to the vet in time to save their lives with an injection of anti-venom and other treatments.

Five years after Iggy the Lab went for a walk by himself, he's back home. Iggy was just 18 months old when he took off, and his owner was only seven, but now that he's home, it's like he never left. And he never would have returned at all if it weren't for the fact that he was microchipped!

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 Houston Chronicle. "Am I happy about what happened? Of course not. But I'm proud that my dog did his job." Dahlin added that a canine's job is to step in front of danger. "I learned how to train him and he learned to train me," Dahlin said. "He was the smarter of the two of us, I can guarantee you that."

The suspects involved in the pursuit are in custody, including 17-year-old Cornelious Harrell, who strangled Blek from behind when the dog attacked Harrell's younger brother.

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 deterrent, used only for their teeth and growls. However, the informal use of dogs in law enforcement goes back to the Middle Ages and most likely even before that. These days, dogs help officers primarily with their sense of smell, which is so powerful that they can detect scents one-hundred-millionth fainter than the boundaries of human perception. They can easily find drugs, bombs, criminals, and corpses, even when criminals have taken extra measures to mask odors. So although the police can often make mistakes, police dogs do not. They remain an integral part of public safety.

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") with me as a tool.

As a tool to do what?
Our canines are dual purpose, so that means they are patrol and narcotics detection dogs. The dogs are used for finding people and evidence, for tracking suspects, missing people, and people who may be suicidal. Essentially, the dogs are a locating tool for finding people or drugs.

What is your job like?
If there is a "hot" call or a crime in-progress call, as a K-9 officer, we step up and handle it. We set up a perimeter and we go from there looking for the suspect.

How do you become a K-9 officer?
Most places, you have to be selected into the unit. You have to prove yourself as a patrol officer, work well without a lot of supervision. Also, before I got a K-9 partner, I participated in our department's weekly trainings. I'd be out there with the bite suit on, hiding in trees and bushes taking bites. You actually learn a lot hiding from the dogs. You see the dogs work firsthand -- noses and ears perked up. You see them hit a scent cone and know the odor is coming off of you.

What made you want to be a K-9 officer?
I went to the trainings a couple of times and saw the dogs work. Also, the K-9 officer steps up and handles the hot calls and takes over things. Everyone looks to him to take charge, and that's what I wanted to do. There's nothing like going [on a call] and the victim, witness, or cop says, "This guy went this way, go find him" and I go find them with the dog.

What kind of hours do you and Ugo work?
Most of the crimes we're involved with occur at night, so I work a graveyard shift from eight at night until six in the morning.

Are you in your car patrolling?
Yeah, I'm a regular patrol officer, and when there's a call for a K-9 dog, then I search with the dog. Otherwise, I'm out there doing the regular calls for service -- going to domestic violence calls, accidents...

Is it just you and your dog that patrols?
I'm in the car by myself with the dog. But for most calls we go to, there are other officers there. I never search alone. Depending on the crime, it could be one person with me, or three.

How does Ugo let you know he's found someone?
Our dogs are "find and bark." So when they find someone, they bark at 'em. They're trained to bark, bark, bark.

What if the suspect tries to run away?
If the suspect tries to run away or move, the dog will apprehend him. They're trained to bite. Not to chew, but just to grab on and hold. If people try to run away, the dog will usually bite them on the leg or arm. It makes it harder for you to run away with an eighty-pound dog on your back. It's up to the suspect whether there will be an apprehension.