Humans have relied on dogs for a wide variety of jobs and duties throughout the over 10,000 years of history we share. Dogs have served critical functions in our society such as hunting, herding, guarding, guiding, and more. In our modern times, the police dog embodies all of the wonderful qualities of service, protection, and loyalty that make dogs so special to humans.
K9 officers are in a unique position among a police force. Not only are they required to fulfill their duties as officers of the law, they work in close partnership with a member of a different species to accomplish this. How they are trained and what goes into this partnership is the perfect example of how closely connected humans and canines have become, and how much we need and rely on each other.