Shortage of canine cops worries police

MURRAY WILSON/Manawatu Standard

NEW RECRUIT: Thirteen-week-old German shepherd Harbin, whose name means little warrior in German, is raring to become a fully grown and trained police dog. But Constable Jason Trembath will have to watch while another handler takes him on as a partner because they are a puppy short in Palmerston North.

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You can't teach an old dog new tricks, but it's hard to find a young one that fits the bill.

The criteria for good quality police dogs are notoriously strict, but right now, Palmerston North police dog section would welcome any offers of German shepherd puppies to be considered for the team.

There are currently five dog handlers on staff and all but Constable Jason Trembath have canine partners assigned.

Mr Trembath's first partner when he became a handler a year ago - Kaiser - died in an off-duty accident recently and he has been partner-less since.

Despite calling breeders, pounds and pet shops around the country, there was none to be found, Mr Trembath said.

And the unforeseen loss meant that even the police dog breeding scheme at the training college in Trentham did not have a replacement, as orders had to be in ahead of time.

So Mr Trembath is putting a plea out to the public.

Acting officer in charge of the Palmerston North police dog section, Senior Constable Peter McDonald, labelled the puppy "drought" a "bit of a predicament".

"When you want them, there's none; when you don't, there's lots.

The last time the section had this much trouble finding a replacement was about 12 years ago," he said.

Even though the breeding programme was producing top-quality dogs, there were still not quite enough for everyone.

So police are seeking offers of German shepherd puppies younger than about 20 months willing to embark on an exciting career, Mr McDonald said.

They would go through the stringent selection process to ensure they had the temperament for general purposes in the police force.

Ideal characteristics include good retrieval skills, confidence without too much aggression and the strong build that made the breed leaders in the job of police dog.

If chosen, they would be assigned and trained as Constable Trembath's partner and welcomed into his home to be "part of the family".

Any other suitable dogs offered would fill some of the gaps in other regions.

"There's an old saying, you can't teach an old dog new tricks, which is quite true really . . .we look at the best of the best," Mr McDonald said.

"But having said that, some of the best dogs in the police have been given to us from the pounds and all over the place. They work their weight of gold more often than not."

* Anyone with a German shepherd puppy that may be suitable can call Constable Trembath on 027 322 2145 or the station on 351-3600.

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