Dogs serve many purposes. They make good pets, always deemed to be "man's best friend." They provide assistance to the blind as guide dogs. They train and compete at dog shows at various levels. They assist with search and rescue operations with different forces around the world.
Along with all that, dogs have become a vital part of America's law enforcement. Police dogs now do what officer's can't: sneaking into tiny, hidden spaces to sniff out scents that officers can't easily detect.
The University Police Department has two such dogs. One of them is Tara, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois who was born and raised in the Netherlands. She spent two years of her life training to be a police dog.
Tara is considered a dual-purpose dog. First, she can detect narcotics and illegal narcotics, or anything but prescription drugs because there are thousands in existence. Second, she is an apprehension dog, used for felony and armed robbery suspects. And along with that, Tara is a PH-1 titled dog.
"She's very obedient, she's very good at what she does," Police and Canine Officer Scott Stafford, Tara's handler, said.
And that's just what the PH-1 title means. She is a controlled, well-trained dog who performs her duties with ease. There are championships in Europe for PH-1 titled dogs, and Stafford said Tara could probably compete in one. However, Stafford jokes, saying he does not believe he would ever get the time off to take her over to Europe for a competition.
Officer Scott Stafford and UPD got Tara in April 2008 from Vohne Liche Kennels in Denver, Ind. Vohne Liche specializes in training both dogs and handlers, especially when it comes to police dogs from outside the U.S.
Stafford spent six weeks at Vohne Liche in initial training in order to be Tara's handler.
Although Tara was already trained as a police dog, Stafford had to train to handle her correctly.
Because Tara was raised in the Netherlands, Dutch and German are the languages of her commands.
"She doesn't understand English at all," Stafford said.
Therefore, it was necessary for Stafford to take a class on German commands, which is what he did during his six weeks of training with Vohne Liche. Stafford took the class with trainers from around the country, including Colorado and Nevada. The class lasted a day and a half, and during that time, Stafford and other trainers in the class were given a sheet of paper with various commands in German and Dutch. The commands were read aloud and explained. Then, the trainers went out with their dogs on their leads, and they practiced the different commands.
Stafford may give Tara a command in English, like lay down or sit, and she will do nothing.
But if he says it in Dutch or German, she obeys.
"She doesn't understand anything but those commands," Stafford said.
Stafford said the German and Dutch are not for secrecy purposes, although it does come in handy. It is just that her trainers in the Netherlands spoke this way and it's all she really knows. Therefore, Stafford learned German commands. And it was much easier for him to learn these commands than to teach the English to Tara.
"It would probably confuse her more than help," Stafford said.
When it comes to commands, body language is key.
"She feeds off of me when it comes to work," Stafford said. "It's nothing but a game to her."
Like all dogs, Tara has a drive to find "the ball," which would be anything Stafford or another officer asks her to search. However, unlike other dogs, through years of training, her searching skills have been strengthened and honed in for specific purposes, like uncovering narcotics and illegal drugs. Therefore, her sniffing senses are strong, helping her find the odor in order to find "the ball."
This is a way of life for police dogs in Europe and normal for police dogs to originate outside the U.S. It doesn't really turn any heads. The Netherlands and Germany are common breeding-grounds for well-trained police dogs like Tara.
"It's unusual to see a police dog that was born and raised in the United States versus Europe," Stafford said. "They train these dogs day in and day out. That's their living. That's all they do."
When Stafford had the chance to meet Tara's original handler, he was shocked to hear that handlers regularly take their dogs to eat with them in Europe. It's nothing out of the ordinary to go to a restaurant and serve humans and dogs alike.
"They're not only deemed as dogs, but they're also deemed as…a partner," Stafford said.
And this is the way he views Tara. They're not just friends or a handler-and-dog duo. Tara is Stafford's partner.
Because Tara is very good at what she does and good at finding illegal narcotics, she has become an indispensable asset of UPD. She is obedient, not out of control, and comfortable in a college setting.
"You have to have that on a university campus," Stafford said. "She has to be social."
Besides that, Tara knows when it's time to work and when it's time to play. Her demeanor changes in an instant when need be. And control is key. Stafford said she would only do something to someone if first, she is commanded to do so by her handler, or second, her handler is in danger (although that's consistent with just about any dog).
And it surely benefits UPD that other people can't understand the commands, and that
Tara can't understand English commands that others may give her. A student on campus could not tell her to bite the guy next to him; Tara wouldn't understand that.
However, life is not all work and no play for Tara. The university owns her, but she does have a life outside of UPD. Stafford takes her home with him every night, bathing her and feeding her on a regular basis.
"I'm responsible for her care," Stafford said.
Stafford expresses interest in wanting Tara once she retires, which will be after eight or nine years of service for UPD, but that isn't a definite. The university has no obligation to give her to Stafford, although it would hurt if they didn't.
"I would be devastated if they didn't," Stafford said.
Tara has really become part of the family. Instead of sleeping outside at night, Tara sleeps inside with Stafford and his wife, with his wife's approval. He also has a nine-month-old son that adores the dog, riding on her back occasionally.
"She's not a vicious animal," Stafford said. "Not all police dogs are uncontrollable, because you see that sometimes. They're not mean. It's a game they're playing."
Dog Training
• "KNPV" is seen as a suffix on the names of many Dutch dogs and is an abbreviation for "Koninklijke Nederlandse Politiehond Vereniging," which means Royal Dutch Police Dog Association.
• The KNPV was founded in 1907 and today has about 10,000 members in the Netherlands. It was brought to America in 2008 by the Service Dog Association's special authorization and membership in the original KNPV organization in the Netherlands.
This organization conducts police dog trials and offers Police Dog One certifications, which are among the most coveted and respected in the world.
• The Police Dog One (PH-1) examination has a water exercise where the dog must swim across a canal on command and return on command. Other exercises include large object retrieval, food refusal and an exercise in which a dog must remain quiet during gunfire. The dog also must heel on and off leash and beside a bicycle on both sides of his handler.
Source: knpv-usa.com
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