Dogs with Jobs: Police Dogs
For hundreds of years, ever since the domestication of the wolf, dogs have worked side by side with humans. In modern times, they are stilled used to aid various occupations such as the police. Police dogs, or K-9’s as how they are referred to by officers, are hardworking members of the police force. A few of the most commonly used breeds are:
German Shepherds
An extremely versatile breed that used in many different jobs around the world. It weighs around 70 to 90 lbs with a coat that can be either short or long and comes in white, black, or tan and brown. This is a brave and intelligent breed that is capable of performing many complicated tasks.
Labrador Retrievers
This breed weighs in between 60 and 80 lbs with a short coat that comes in three flavors: brown, black, and yellow. This is an easy breed to train since labs are eager to please their owners which makes them a popular choice for working dogs.
Belgian Malinois
This is a similar breed to the German Shepherd, but in a slightly smaller form weighing in between 50 to 70 lbs. They have a short tan coat with darker fur around their ears and muzzle.
Bloodhounds
These dogs have long been renowned for having one of the best noses in the business. This is a large breed weighing around 100 lbs. They are tan and brown with long ears and have extra skin around their faces which gives them a droopy appearance.
Dogs are an essential member to any police force since they can perform many jobs that officers can’t. Their jobs include sentry duties, search and rescue, sniffing for explosives and arson, and also searching for cadavers. In fact, a dog’s ability to find things with his or her nose is what makes them so valuable. A dog’s sense of smell is approximately 50 times stronger than humans. This nose has been used to track criminals that would’ve otherwise escaped and also to find hidden evidence in crime scenes.
However, dog’s noses aren’t the only useful feature they have. Dogs have great stamina and can run for miles. This allows them to chase down fleeing suspects, even being trained to be able to leap over fences. When a police dog is on your trail, its nearly impossible to get away on foot. Most of the time, however, it doesn’t have to come to that since of the very presence of a police dog is enough of deterrent to for criminals to not resist arrest. Nobody wants to be on the receiving end of a dog bite, especially a police dog. These dogs are trained to bite hard and to not let go unless called off by their handlers. Dogs are useful to the police in many different ways and are heroes with four legs.
photo credit: West Midlands Police Day 179 – West Midlands Police – Ivan the Police Dog via photopin (license)
