Did You Know? Topic: Police Dogs

by: Jason M. Grossman | President, K9 Field Kits

Here at K9 Talk (and K9 Field Kits), we are huge fans of working dogs, including my personal favorite working dog – the mighty police dog. Having grown up living next door to an amazing police dog (a black GSD named Igor), I learned to love and respect these amazing dogs and the jobs they so fearlessly and tirelessly perform. Along the way, I’ve picked up a few really interesting tidbits about the police dog, so I thought I’d share some fun facts about these amazing dogs and the dangerous job(s) they do.

• Dogs can differentiate between identical twins (something even their parents have trouble doing on occasion!)
• German Shepherds can actually search an area four times faster than a human being can – and with a much higher accuracy and a nose for detail
• Police dogs can be trained to perform an amazing variety of jobs, including tracking, narcotics detection, explosives detection, cadaver detection, and public enforcement
• Their sense of smell is more than 50 times greater than that of a human’s
• Police dogs help keep billions of dollars of drugs off of our streets (yes – billions)
• A police dog’s average career last between 6-8 years and then they are usually retired to (happily) live with their handler
• A police dog can use two different types of alerts – a passive alert or an active alert – depending on the job(s) they’ve been trained for and the situation at hand
• A big part of a police dog’s job is community relations and working with children – next time you see a police dog, ask his handler for a K9 trading card!
• German Shepherds are the most common police dog in the world with the Belgian Malinois coming in a very popular second in recent years
• Greeks, Persians, Babylonians, and Assyrians were the first to use dogs as police dogs
• “Beware of Dog” signs have been found throughout history, dating at least back to the Roman Empire
• Their reputation precedes them – many suspects who might otherwise run just give up at the sight of a police dog

Police Dog in training, circa 1919

If you know any more interesting Police Dog / K9 Unit facts, hit us up in the comments below.

Why Every K9 Unit Should be Equipped with a Pet Oxygen Mask

You are getting ready to heading out on your patrol shift. You run through your checklist to make sure you are ready for whatever the streets throw your way. If you haven’t added a Pet Oxygen Mask Kit (such as our Law Enforcement series Pet Oxygen Mask & Bag Combo Kit) to your checklist yet, you should. Here’s why:

A Pet Oxygen Mask can save you K9 partner’s life in a number of situations. These kits consist of a specially-designed oxygen mask that is made to fit the average working dog breeds (e.g., German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois, Labrador, etc.), along with a resuscitation bag the provides the ideal amount of oxygen to your K9. The masks are constructed with durable, shatterproof polycarbonate, designed to work in the most dangerous environments. Should you encounter smoke, whether it is from a fire or from a smoke bomb (such as a riot control or SWAT situation), you can safely prevent and treat smoke inhalation. Oftentimes, drug-sniffing and/or detection dogs encounter booby-traps and other chemical and/or hazmat inhalation dangers.

If your K9 has swallowed a foreign object, an oxygen mask should be applied right after removing the obstruction, to ensure adequate airflow while being transported to the nearest veterinarian for treatment. After a snakebite, gunshot, stab or any type of penetration wound, oxygen masks can help regulate their breathing, reducing the dog’s chances of going into shock or hyperventilating, both of which can be potentially fatal faster than the original wound. All types of respiratory distress can and should be treated with these masks, until they can be safely treated by a veterinarian.

One of the most overlooked, but substantial benefits to carrying these oxygen masks is public relations. These kits come with a vehicle magnet informing the community, fellow officers and firefighters that the vehicle has pet oxygen masks on board. An officer carrying these kits in their vehicle can assist a citizen’s dog at a fire scene, an overheated dog suffering from heat stroke (e.g., a dog that has been left in a parked vehicle, a dog out for a walk on a too-hot day, etc.), or save a dog wandering along the side of the road, or at the scene of an accident involving a family pet. These actions can help generate positive press for your local police force and help boost morale, both within the department and in the community.

The Pet Oxygen Mask and Bag Combo Kit is inexpensive – $99.95 will get you a single kit and the pricing can go down quite a bit when ordering multiple kits. It is light-weight, durable and extremely low-maintenance. The only regular maintenance you need to perform is cleaning after use and replacing the diaphragm once a year. The kits come in a water-resistant transport bag that fits snugly in the trunk of your vehicle, while leaving room for any other tools and equipment that you currently carry in your trunk.

For more information, please visit our website: http://www.k9fieldkits.com/accessories/pet-oxygen-masks/

You can also reach us via email: info@k9fieldkits.com  or via telephone: 305-999-5574. We are available by phone from Monday to Saturday 9 am – 5 pm EST.

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