A 16-month-old black Labrador was rescued from a shelter by the local police department. Instead of going to an expensive breeder the Chicago Police Department decided to give a rescue dog a chance at life and a new career.

The dog, Pantera, is now working in the organized crime division. Here are the details from the Chicago Tribune.

Officer Steve Martinez visited the Chicago Ridge Animal Welfare League at least four times before picking Pantera based on the dog’s “high degree of maturity and strong drive.” After extensive training in various drug detection techniques, Pantera became an official police dog, the youngest certified narcotics detection canine in city history.

Since joining the force, Pantera has recovered evidence and assisted in search warrant executions with the narcotics section, the department said.

This is such good news, and shows what great dogs you can adopt from the shelter. The Animal Welfare League, where Pantera had been dropped off, hopes the police department continues to adopt from shelters.  I hope so too, it sets a great example and maybe departments around the country will follow suit.

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A dog handler in Texas who uses scent to identify suspects in crimes has been named in two lawsuits.

In one case Calvin Lee Miller filed after being misidentified by Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Deputy Keith Pikett in a robbery case. Pikett is the only dog handler in Texas who uses this technique and defense attorneys argue it is not a precise science.

The suits against Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Deputy Keith Pikett were filed by Calvin Lee Miller, who spent 62 days in jail for robbery and sexual assault before being cleared, and a former Victoria County Sheriff’s captain who became a murder suspect before another man pleaded guilty in the case.

Pikett’s work figured in both cases, the Victoria Advocate reported Sunday. For example: In the case involving Miller, a swab from Miller and the scent from the assault victim’s sheets were sent to Pikett, whose three bloodhounds indicated Miller’s scent was on the sheets.

No laws or regulations govern scent lineups, but they’re admissible in courts across the nation. Only tighter oversight can keep shoddy scent IDs from becoming key evidence, a growing number of critics say.

“This is junk science. This isn’t even science. This is just junk,” said Jeff Blackburn, chief counsel for the Innocence Project of Texas. The group works to free wrongfully convicted inmates and recently started to investigate Pikett.

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I found an interesting article about a doggie boot camp program in Thailand run by the Royal Thai Police.  The camp teaches basic obedience but also trains the enrollees to become volunteer police dogs.

“If the dogs can work, they can help society and its owners’ family. This is what we consider our success,” said police dog handler Lieutenant Colonel Chatchai Setthipanlan.

“When dogs pass the elementary level, we train them on discipline, then after they finish the advanced level, we specify a particular field that we use for crime suppression tasks.”

The force has only 33 professional police dogs, and this is the second year the volunteer programme has been conducted.

Last year, only 20 dogs out of 300 recruits passed the three-month training course and were appointed as volunteer police dogs which, in case of an emergency, will be called upon to work in the area they live in.

Training stars with basic commands, such as “sit” and “wait.” Many pets do not go beyond this stage, Chatchai said.

Chaiwat Ruangkittikul, the owner of the talented Richy and Jame, was one of a few whose dogs finished the programme last year. Richy took part in guarding the cremation ceremony for one of the royals while Jame is in the narcotics squad.

“The program was initiated to make police dogs familiar with civilians’ dogs so they can be united. They (police) want to encourage people to help society,” said Chaiwat.

This year over 800 dogs have enrolled in the program.  What a great idea, hopefully it will continue on to a third year.

*ADOPTABLE: Anyone looking for a Foxy lady? This beauty is looking for her forever home, check out Foxy’s page to learn more.

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I’ve reported on a few cloning stories but this one is a little different. The person who had their dog cloned  was the winner of  “The Golden Clone Giveaway” contest by California firm BioArts International. The firm held a contest to find the world’s most “cloneworthy” dog.

James Symington was the winner and his dog Trakr was cloned. Trakr was a search and rescue dog who helped find people in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. He found the last human survivor in the rubble of the twin towers.

Symington, a former Canadian police officer, choked back tears as he formally took possession of the five descendants of his beloved German shepherd named Trakr, who died in April.

“We’re here to celebrate that Trakr’s legacy lives on in these five beautiful puppies,” he told reporters. “If they have the same attributes Trakr did, then hopefully they’ll develop into world class search and rescue dogs.”

Symington and Trakr arrived at the site of the World Trade Center collapse, commonly referred to as Ground Zero, on September 12, 2001 and were one of the first K9 search and rescue teams on the scene.

“Trakr was an extraordinary search and rescue dog. His work at Ground Zero was the culmination of his career,” Symington said.

BioArts International, which says it offers the world’s first commercial dog cloning service, partnered with South Korea’s SooAm Biotech Research Foundation to clone Trakr under the direction of scientist Hwang Woo-Suk.

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As many people know, especially after the recent US Airways Flight 1549 incident,  birds and planes do not mix. That’s why at the Southwest Oregon Regional Airport they hired a Filly as a preemptive strike. Filly is a border collie who chases fowl for a living, she’s a “wildlife management canine.”

“She’s chased flocks of geese into the water,” said Bob Hood, the airport’s wildlife manager. “She’s really good at her job and she really likes her job.”

Filly is the third wildlife management canine Hood has trained to shoo away birds like Canada geese at the airport. (He’s trained police dogs and search-and-rescue dogs as well.)

The birds, of course, probably don’t much like having Filly around — but it’s certainly preferable to the alternatives, not the least of which is being hit by a plane. From the Coos Bay World:

The dogs don’t hurt the birds, because they usually can’t catch them, although Filly did catch a goose once.

“She’s fast,” Hood said. “I saw her run and jump up in the air. There was a big fight on the ground by the time I got there.”

The Coos County Animal Shelter donated the 2 1/2-year-old about a year ago. She had about two months of training before going out in the field.

Every day Hood and Filly arrive at the airport at 5:30 a.m. and stay until dark when an operations crew takes over.

As they ride around in his truck, Hood communicates by radio with the air traffic controllers, who monitor aircraft arrivals.

That’s one smart dog, she knew how to make herself invaluable and get hired even in these tough times.

*Photo: A flock of birds, disturbed by a plane’s takeoff, takes flight from the side of a runway in Canandaigua, N.Y. Credit: Vasiliy Baziuk / Associated Press

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Bilbo wasn’t really on Baywatch, but he does save lives.  He also isn’t human, he’s is an 198 lb. Newfoundland and is the only lifeguard dog in Britain.

Due to a new ban, Bilbo’s job has been terminated. Being the smart boy that he is, he’s made a video to try and convince Gordon Brown to give him back his job.

The only lifeguard dog in Britain is starring in a video appeal to Gordon Brown to get his job back.

Bilbo, a 90kg (14stone) Newfoundland, was banned from his beach and is in a short, Baywatch-style film sent to No. 10.

A Facebook group has also been set up for the dog, which has helped rescue dozens of people.

Good luck Bilbo, we’re rooting for you.

* Pic courtesy of metro.co.uk

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I want to thank Michelle for sending me this great story out of Glendale, AZ.

The first crisis dog to be used by any fire department in the nation was there to comfort seven children involved in a car accident.

When emergency workers discovered seven children were involved, Topaz, a 1 1/2-year-old yellow Labrador was called into action.

The dog just arrived in the Valley from Michigan and the accident was one of his first. The Glendale Fire Department got Topaz from Paws With A Cause and he’s still in training.

“The scientific evidence shows they help lower blood pressure,” said Lanette Jelinek, the dog’s handler. “Just petting them. Animals have a very calming affect.”

Police said none of the children inside the pickup was injured. The children said they found the dog comforting.

Is there any end to how dogs help better our lives?  This sounds like a wonderful idea and hopefully will catch on around the country.

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That’s right, sniffer dogs are being used in the bedroom.  Not just any bedroom, your teenager’s room is the target for these dogs.

Sniff Dogs, which operates in New Jersey and Ohio, use retired police dogs to now work in the private sector. So much for retirement.

The dogs are highly trained to detect illegal drugs but don’t come cheap, $200 an hour is the going rate.

Sniff Dogs claims to offer a “discreet service” that avoids the confrontation that comes from drugs tests because the search can be carried out without the knowledge of their children.

The company cites statistics showing half of American schoolchildren have tried marijuana and that most drug taking takes place when they get home from school.

This is interesting concept, but does it cross the line.  Do you think it’s alright for parents to go into their kid’s room with a sniffer dog, or is it an invasion of privacy?

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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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There are so many dogs in shelters across the U.S., while some get adopted many never make it out.

Some dogs aren’t adopted because their rather rambunctious personality can be a bit overwhelming to the potential adopter.

The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation has a way to save these dogs, by putting them to work.

“They don’t do well sitting in your back yard, they don’t do well with little kids because they are just very very rambunctious dogs,” said Marin County Fire Captain Jim Boggeri. “They need a job and they need to get out and run and do this job.”

National Disaster Search Dog Foundation Canine Manager Karen Klingberg scours shelters for dogs that can’t make it as pets, but might make it as disaster-scene searchers and rescuers.

“This is where your high-energy, your driven fence jumper, pulling, untrained dogs end up. And to me, those are like ‘yeah’,” she said.

After successfully passing a battery of tests, dogs that are sometimes just hours away from being put down at a shelter are enrolled in a six-to eight-month certification course.

This sounds like a win-win situation to me, what a great story.

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