Heroic Police Dogs make the news every day. The dogs, mostly German Shepherds, perform ordinary duties that can, like all police work, quickly become extraordinary.
This report came out of Ediburgh, Scotland, telling about police dog JET:
A Police dog captured a suspected drug dealer who tried to escape by kicking and punching the animal.
German Shepherd Jet seized the suspect by the arm after a chase and, despite being struck several times, subdued the man until officers arrived.
Jet and his handler, PC Mark Halliday, had been called to an incident in the city's Craigmount area at 3:40am on Thursday. The suspect made off but was found by the police dog hiding in a garden flower bed.
After pretending to surrender and walking towards the officers, the man ran off again with the dog in pursuit.Four-year-old Jet seized him by the arm, as he was trained to do, and refused to let go even when the man lashed out. The suspect was arrested and charged with possessing crack and cannabis.
The next day, Jet and his handler were on another night shift patrol when they were called to the Corstorphine area at 1.10am. Two men, aged 20 and 18, had been spotted allegedly breaking into vehicles and the dog found them nearby.
The Vancouver, British Columbia Province had a sadder report about NITRO:
Vancouver police dog Nitro has died in the line of duty, doing what he loved and was trained for.
The eight-year-old German Shepherd was chasing a suspect in New Westminster at about 10:30 p.m. Monday when the dog was sucked under the wheels of a moving freight train.
Sgt. Gord Park, head of the Canine Unit, said a suspect fleeing a stolen car leaped on to the side of a boxcar to try and escape.
"The dog lunged at him, got a slight grip on him, lost his grip and fell under the wheels of the freight train," Park said.
The dog, which weighed 35 kilograms, suffered massive injuries that were "very, very traumatic," Park said. "I would think he was killed instantly."
Witnessing the death were several senior officers, civilians who help in the dog-training process and Nitro's only handler, acting Sgt. Howard Rutter. Park said all those who saw what happened are deeply upset. Rutter is temporarily on administrative leave."It was horrible," Park said.
The incident began during a dog-and-handler training class. An officer in an unmarked vehicle spotted a stolen car in Vancouver driving east on Marine Drive and police followed until the stolen car was forced to stop at a train crossing on Front Street, Park said. The men fled, one climbing on to the side of the train.
One of the two men was apprehended. Gregg Daniel Pete, 26, was captured a few hours later. It's not clear if he is the suspect that Nitro chased. Pete is facing charges of theft over $5,000 and various probation violations.
Born in Monroe, Washington, Nitro was a popular pooch with a sable coat, mahogany-brown eyes and large, distinctive shepherd ears. Suffering from arthritis, the dog was due to retire from active duty in April.
Nitro was the first police dog named in the department's "name the puppy" contest. He was also one of only a few dogs in the unit trained for work with the emergency response team. He had lived with Rutter since he finished dog training and became an official police K9 in June 1999.
Nitro is the eighth VPD dog to die on duty since the unit was founded in 1959. A wake open to the public is planned for February.Ironically, Nitro is a feature element of an ICBC ad campaign focusing on auto crime.
Sgt. Gord McGuinness, former head of the dog unit, trained Nitro and raised him until he was18 months old. McGuinness said the dog was smaller in stature than the typical shepherd, but was one of the top producers in the unit.
"He was a very tenacious dog," McGuinness recalled.Park noted Nitro and Rutter were recently nominated for the department's police officer of the year award.
- - -NITRO'S CAREER:- Oct. 11, 2004: Man in stolen car crashes into side of building and flees. Nitro tracks him 15 blocks, finds him in bushes.
- Sept. 22, 2003: Armed robber gets on bus in 600-block Broadway, gets off at Broadway and Oak. Nitro tracks him two blocks to apartment where he is hiding.
- Oct. 13, 2002: Four men reported stealing items from cars. Nitro shows up 20 minutes later, tracks suspects 12 blocks and finds them breaking into car. Nitro catches one, is dragged a block by fleeing man before suspect is finally arrested.
- Feb. 18, 2002: Nitro locates suspect and crime scene in sex-assault/stabbing case.
The Canadian Broadcast Corporation had a much happier report about the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary's ROCKY:
Beeping luggage and a drunk man who tumbled down part of Signal Hill kept a St. John's police dog busy overnight Thursday.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary took its dog Rocky to St. John's International Airport after security officers heard a beeping sound from an unclaimed bag.
Rocky sniffed the luggage, but found no scent of explosives in the bag, which turned out to contain an alarm clock that had gone off.Meanwhile, Rocky also helped locate a drunken man who tumbled over the edge of Signal Hill.
The man, 22, was reported missing by friends who lost sight of him amid heavy fog at the top of Signal Hill, a popular attraction that offers commanding views of the city and the Atlantic Ocean.
Rocky found the man about 50 metres down a steep slope.
The St. John's fire department was able to reach the man, who had fallen down the incline from one of the walking trails that circle the hill. He was not seriously injured...
This report out of South Africa tells of BOBBY. Bobby received the Star of Bravery medal, along with his handler, Inspector Lappies Labuschagne:
Earlier this year Bobbie was used when a man assaulted police officers with a spade and stabbed several of them with a sharp object.
"Bobbie took the man down and held him down until we could restrain him," Labuschagne said.
It was only afterwards that they found that Bobbie had sustained a skull fracture because he had been beaten over the head with the spade.
A veterinarian in Vryburg where the incident took place told Labuschagne that it was not possible to help Bobbie, but police veterinarians at Roodeplaat managed to save him. After three weeks, Bobby was completely recovered and back on the beat.
"You know you want to cry with anger and frustration. These dogs are there to help people, and he is my partner," said Labuschagne.
Inspector Labuschagne's words reflect the deep emotional connection that police handlers usually have with their dogs.
To see more articles about heroic police dogs and K9 units, go to MOUNTED POLICE DOGS: Huskies, German Shepherds & Others which can be found at /custom3.html
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