Police Dogs

[TheAsterisk]

:cool: Greetings! This is The Asterisk, returning to the Officer.com bulletin boards after an absence of a few years.
Are there any officers out there who are partnered with a canine officer? If so, what are some of your more exciting moments while working with the canine officer?
What breed of dog is your canine, and which breed of dog do you feel is best for the role of Canine Cop?
Hope to see some great responses here, and it is great to be here once again with the men, women, and canines of OFFICER.COM!
The Asterisk *

[K9Cop]

I have a canine partner - a Malinois (affectionately known to most handlers as a malinut). One of the best times we had was tracking down a suspect who had run off with a few thousand dollars of the county narcotic officers buy money. Seems their k-9 could not pick-up the scent. We arrived about 15 minutes after the suspect ran from them (Mutual Aid Agreement). I found out that the suspect had exited from the passenger side of a vehicle still on scene. I placed his tracking harness just outside the door, brought him up to the harness (his cue that we were tracking someone and not looking for narcotics in the vehicle) strapped him in....an we were off. My partner tracked at a full run for over two and half miles through residential areas, woods, over fences, through water. I had to slow him down every once in awhile so that my back-up officers could catch their breaths - but we caught up with the suspect. Although I get a rush everytime he indicates on a vehicle with narcotics in it - nothing is more rewarding then tracking....and finding the suspect.

As for which breed is best - I've worked with Rotties, GSD's, Labs and Mals. I'm sure you'll get alot of opinions from handlers, but I think as long as the dog is healthy, stable, social and can do their job - breed is not a big issue.

[Hightower]

Originally posted by K9Cop
I have a canine partner - a Malinois (affectionately known to most handlers as a malinut).

I prefer the term "Melon-Head". But I digress...

I am also a K9 Handler. My partner is a 4 year old GSD, mostly black in color. We actually just finished USPCA PD1 Certification last week. I have no real stories yet.

Hightower

[K9Cop]

:D Melon-Head is actually a name we reserve for a handler who has no idea how to "read" his dog. Intelligence is suppose to travel down the lead - not up.:)

BTW, congrats on PD1 certification Hightower!!