This Judge has four legs, he’s a police dog with the Winnipeg police force. On September 26th Judge and his human partner, Constable Scott Taylor, had a night that most in the force can only dream of.  They had an unprecedented six arrests in one evening!

Here are the details from the Winnipeg Free Press.

Shortly before midnight on Sept. 26, Const. Scott Taylor and police dog Judge, who have worked together since 2004, tracked down and arrested two suspects in a strong-arm robbery in the North End, and recovered the victim’s property.

But Taylor and Judge were just getting started.

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There’s a police K-9 in the Valley that will be kept safe thanks to a new heat-warning system that was installed in the patrol car he rides in.  The device detects his presence when left in the car, it costs about $900.

The new system was installed in Officer Aaron Brewer’s patrol car about a month ago to keep the Peoria Police Department’s new police dog, Havoc, safe in high desert temperatures.

A mat on the vehicle’s floor detects whether a dog is present. If a dog is in the vehicle when a handler removes the keys from the ignition, the system will keep the engine running. If the vehicle’s air-conditioning fails while the handler is away and the temperature rises above 90 degrees, a siren will go off.

Once the alarms sounds, the handler has about 3 minutes to get to the vehicle and disarm it before a message is sent to police dispatch. If the handler can’t be located, the dispatcher will send officers to the vehicle’s last known location.

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Police dogs risk their lives for us everyday,  now thanks to  Vest ‘N .P.D.P. they’re a little safer.

Police officers count on bulletproof vests every day. Now the dogs of the K-9 unit with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office have the same protection.

Sheriff Bill Schatzman said Wednesday his office has received bulletproof, stab-proof vests for eight of the department’s 10 dogs. Schatzman said the dogs detect explosives, drugs and firearms and help catch criminals, and are in harm’s way.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports none of the sheriff’s dogs have been killed in the line of duty.

The vests cost $900 each and were donated by Vest ‘N P.D.P., a nonprofit organization.

That’s great, hopefully more police dogs across the country will get them. To learn more about the wonderful not-for-profit organization Vest ‘N P.D.P., who raises money to buy the vests, visit their site.

Can you Help? Will you Help?

Vest ‘N P.D.P (Police Dog Protection) raises money to provide Police Dogs with bulletproof/stabproof vests. Police Dogs risk their own lives not knowing the dangers that face them.

They are being killed and injured more frequently than ever. Your donations are strictly utilized for protecting them. Please visit our donation page where you can help save Police Dogs by providing them with Vest Protection.

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In San Pedro, CA there’s a woman with a very noble mission.

Dorothy Matich  has started a grass-roots movement to raise money to refurbish the military dog cemetery.

The way Dorothy Matich sees it, the war dogs buried at San Pedro’s former Army base deserve a respectable resting place.

“They’re veterans, as far as I’m concerned,” Matich said.

Through the years, the cemetery for more than 30 military canines that helped guard the coastline during the Cold War years had fallen into disrepair.

Some of the bronze grave markers were stolen, along with a life-size statue of a German shepherd that once “guarded” the unique burial ground.

Steve Nelson, curator of the Fort MacArthur Museum located inside Angels Gate Park, had long wanted to restore the canine cemetery, but lacked the funds to do so.

While on a visit to the museum Dorothy Matich  learned of the cemetery and curator Steve Nelson’s wish to restore it.  A one woman dog loving machine Matich has managed to raise thousands to go towards the renovations.

Through teas and small-scale fundraisers, Matich and other San Pedro supporters – Florence Kleinjan and Alan and Liz Johnson among them – managed to raise enough money to install a new wrought-iron fence around the cemetery. Private donations also were solicited, with the Petco Foundation donating $1,000.

An irrigation system has been installed with new turf yet to come. Sculptor Eugene
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Daub is working on a design for a new dog statue for the cemetery.

Replicas of the bronze grave markers – although some are missing, others remain locked safely away in the museum – will be made and placed in the cemetery.

The markers bear the names of the dogs – Lance, Baron, Jack, Winner, Pancho, Fritz – along with their military service dates.

The museum has many very interesting exhibits,  including a history of the  “K-9 Command.”  It’s definitely worth visiting if you’re in the area.

For anyone interested in making a donation for the cemetery project you can do so online, or by sending a check made out to the Fort MacArthur Museum Association (designated for the “K-9 Cemetery”) to the Fort MacArthur Museum, P.O. Box 268, San Pedro, CA 90731.

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A short story with a happy ending, thanks to one person who took the time to make a difference. On Thursday Robby, a police K-9, went missing. The 10 year old police dog disappeared from his handler’s backyard in Friendswood, CA.  A story that could have had a tragic ending turned into a happy reunion.

Robby, a 70- to 75-pound Belgian Malinois, was picked up by “a good Samaritan,” Friday morning and taken to a vet, said police spokesman Vance Mitchell. When police searching for the dog made calls to local vets, they happened to call the one where Robby had been taken.

Robby was reported to be in good health and was returned to his handler on Friday.  On behalf of Dogster, I’d like to give a big thanks to the “good Samaritan” who took the time to make sure Robby made it home safely.

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In the following story you’ll see the importance of making sure your dog is always licensed.

OGDEN, Utah — A police dog that was left in a pickup with the engine running apparently knocked the vehicle into gear and ran down a woman who was walking to her mailbox.

Driving without a license, never a good idea. I do hope the woman will make a full recovery.

The dog, a German shepherd named Ranger, had been left in the truck while its handler responded to a domestic disturbance call Tuesday, police Lt. Loring Draper said. The truck’s engine was on so Ranger would have air conditioning.

Good for Lt. Draper,  he must have read the article Dog Days of Summer: Saftey Tips , and the importance of not leaving your dog in a hot car. Apparently he didn’t read the part about German Shepherd’s instinct for driving, particularly when they have “Autobahn on the mind”.

Draper said police were trying to determine if there might have been some malfunction that would have allowed the gear shift to be moved easily.

That’s interesting,  when my wife had an accident she also mentioned something about a “malfunction”.  I’m more inclined to think that it was user error.

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Now, I’ve think I’ve heard everything.  It always amazes me that there is more concern for criminals than the victims,  human or canine.

UNITED KINGDOM – Police dog handlers have been told to consider whether criminals could be frightened of dogs before using them in raids or searches.

They should also think carefully about the possibility of suspects being allergic to dog hair, according to draft guidelines drawn up by senior officers.

Lately there have been a rash of stories involving police dogs that have been abused,  but unbelievably, here is a proposal  that worries about the rights of the criminal.

The proposals follow fears that suspects with medical conditions affected by dogs could sue forces which authorise the animals’ use during arrests or raids.

Perhaps, if you’re not doing anything illegal you won’t have a police K9 trying to nip you in the behind.

‘The traditional shout of “stand still or I will set the dog on you” will presumably now have to become “excuse me, my police dog is quite hairy and might cause alarm as he sinks his fangs into your right thigh – is that all right with you?”

If only  lawmakers would focus on  creating laws that impose stricter penalties on animal abusers, what a better  world  it would be.

A serving dog handler, who asked not to be named, declared: ‘I have never heard anything so ridiculous. What’s next? Sparing people custody because they have a fear of enclosed spaces?

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