The History of Police Service Dogs

Police Service Dogs Over the Years


Dogs have been used for protection for centuries. The practice of formally training dogs for use in police work began in the late 1800’s in Europe. Once established, the practice of training and using trained dogs for law enforcement spread throughout Europe, to England, Wales, and ultimately the United States.

 

Use of Police Service Dogs Prior To 1895

Dogs have served man for centuries in war and peace, an early account of a dog serving man as a detective in pointing out his master’s murderer dates from the reign of Pyrrhus (300-272 BC) King of Epirus (Ancient Greece) in the Third Century BC


In this case, a slave was killed by two men. The slave’s dog was present and witnessed the murder. The King passing by and observing the aftermath ordered that the body be buried and that the dog be brought to him. Time elapsed and the dog remained with the King. The dog remained with his new master and accompanied the King as the King reviewed his troops. As the soldiers passed, the dog attacked two of the soldiers nearly tearing them to pieces and reportedly the two soldiers confessed their guilt of killing the slave to escape the fury of the dog.

 

Police Service Dogs in The Early French Years

Dogs were used for civil patrol in St. Malo, France. Under the direction of armed citizens, the dogs patrolled the perimeter of the town beginning in the early 1300’s. The program was halted abruptly in 1770 after the dogs attacked and killed a young naval officer out after curfew. The dogs which have become a legend in France stand prominently as part of the official insignia of the city of St. Malo.

 

At least one other French town used dogs to warn its citizens of the approach of strangers. King Louis XI provided the ancient abbey and town of Mont. St. Michael, atop Mont. St. Michael rock, with dogs during his reign from 1461-1483.

 

Police Service Dogs After 1895

A significant event accrued to Ghen, Belgium in 1899 which had considerable impact on the use of dogs in police work on a more formalized basis.

 

Ghent is generally cited as being the first city to establish a school where dogs were trained for law enforcement work. The Ghent program, which began in 1899, was preceded by German experiments in the use of dogs which were started in 1896, and by French experiments which began in 1895.

 

Ghent’s dog program began as an experiment and was brought about through the efforts of police commissioner E. Van Wesenmael. In March 1899, the city purchased three police service dogs and eventually purchased seven more police service dogs. All ten were trained for police work. Before Christmas 1899, Ghent had a population of about 175000 persons living with the city’s 6400 acres; the dogs were placed on field duty between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM and worked with ten constables.

 

Commissioner Van Wesenmael deemed the experiment a success and requested Ghent’s burgomaster to permit the purchase and training of six more police service dogs. Permission was granted and the program was expanded. In 1906 about one hundred twenty men, working with between fifty and sixty police service dogs patrolled various areas of Ghent.

 

Continential Adoption

The Ghent experiment attracted wide attention and prompted several other cities on the continent to use of police service dogs in law enforcement. German officials, after studying the Ghent program, returned to their country and by 1910 over six hundred towns in Germany used police service dogs. In addition, several police forces in Hungary, Austria and Italy, as well as Belgian forces followed the lead of Ghent.

 

Early English Adoption

With the success achieved in Ghent and the widespread adoption of the continent, it was a matter of time before the police of England would soon follow suit. While it is difficult to pinpoint the exact date of the English adoption, it appears to have been in or around 1910.

 

Early English use, according to a British Home Office report more closely resembled an informal operation than a highly organized and carefully considered program. It was routine for the police officers of that time to take their dogs with them on patrol. The dogs were primarily used for companionship although their sense of smell aided in the man’s power of observation. They did not normally undergo any special training and dogs of any suitable breed were used.

 

Early informal use soon was carefully scrutinized by the English and the potential of Police Service Dogs was put under study by the Home Office in 1934. International tensions which preceded World War II forced the study to be terminated in 1939.

 

Police Service Dogs In The United States

Less than eight years after the Ghent experiment, at least one American Police agency, the New York City Police Department was using trained police service dogs as a normal basis in its law enforcement program. In addition it is likely that officers in both large and small American cities took dogs along on routine patrol. Instead of being trained police service dogs, the dogs were roamers or personal pets taken along more for company rather than for actual police purposes. Such informal use clearly resembles that found in early England.

 

The modern day police service dog undergoes an extensive training program in which they are trained in patrol functions and possibly the additional duties of narcotics detection or search and rescue.