Dogs, They Don’t Just Fetch Sticks

Working Dogs Fight Crime

By: James DeRocher

Imagine streets with thugs stealing your valuables and trying to sell you drugs. This is what the streets might look like without working dogs on duty.

Luckily police dogs are on duty, catching those types of criminals every day.

From an expert

Balto, Bobbie the Wonder Dog, Heidi and many other incredible dogs risked their lives just to serve and help people. That is why people have them work in the US. Hundreds of dogs work in police K-9 units. Saving many people every day. Without dogs working in the police we wouldn’t have had near as many criminals locked up. The world wouldn’t be as safe a place without them (Waltham PD has had a K-9 unit since 1972).

Officer Hancock Waltham PD, K-9 unit handler responded to my question about what jobs dogs did. “I have a dog named Mugsy who sniffs out people who are lost, most of the time. They are mostly older people [seniors] or younger people [children]. She also tracks down drugs.”

Dogs Jobs

A dog’s sense of smell is 150 times more powerful than humans. That is why dogs can sniff out drugs. I asked my 6th grade teacher Nicole Notaro if she thought that dogs sniffing out drugs was a good use of their natural talent. “I believe police dogs serve society in very important ways. Utilizing them as drug sniffing, bomb sniffing and protective police dogs is a great use of their natural talent. In addition, I think a dog who has a job leads a more “full” life.”

Who else could sniff drugs and bombs out just by waving something that has the same scent, in front of their nose? Dogs have helped us so much with this talent. Like on 9-1-1 when dogs rescued people from the rubble of the Twin Towers in New York City.

K-9 Units

There are many K-9 units in the United States but they are not in every town. I asked my father Chris DeRocher, if he thought that there should be a K-9 unit in every town. “Well I think that it depends on the size of the town,” he said. “If it is a large town, then yes. They have many different uses that can be helpful. Drug tracking, people tracking and more.”

Watertown, my hometown, does not have a K-9 unit but the neighboring town of Waltham does. Watertown and Waltham are close however, some towns are to far away from each other or can’t afford K-9 units.

Abuse

Dog’s and other animals are abused everyday. Some jobs dogs do like dog fighting and racing is abuse and it is very cruel. Is a dog working in police abuse? I asked my Mom. “No I don’t,” She said. “I think it gives the dogs something to do when their owners are at work.” It’s the law to not abuse dogs and police dogs are helping to put a stop to it.

Give Credit

Dogs work in our police agencies serving various purposes. We need to treat them with respect and give them credit for the jobs that they do, just like we do for police officers and soldiers. Dogs help keep the United States safe.

For the incredible stories of Heidi, Bobbie The Wonder Dog and more incredible dogs go to:

http://www.petsdo.com/blog/five-dogs-incredible-stories-loyalty-and-valor