K-9 Breeds: Beagles and Pit Bulls

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In our last post on K-9 breeds, we’re going to look at two breeds that most people don’t think of when discussing working dogs. But they should because they are hardworking, intelligent, and fill some unique roles.

Beagles: Due to their size, speed and keen sense of smell, beagles were originally bred for tracking hare and rabbits as part of the equestrian hunt. In modern times, their smaller size makes them excellent candidates for working indoors and especially around people. They are used for scent detection, primarily in airports and at borders, searching for prohibited imports, currency, and drugs. In fact, the Beagle Brigade is an important part of the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Beagles are also notable among K-9s as having the ability to actually categorize smells, meaning they can differentiate between restricted (such as certain foodstuffs) vs. non-restricted items.

Pit Bulls: Not an actual breed, pit bulls are a type of dog including the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and the American Bulldog. Often maligned, pit bulls are safely and effectively used currently in select police departments. Rather than spending up to $20-40,000 on a trained German shepherd, organizations like Animal Farm Foundation sponsor the of rescue pit bulls from shelters and help train them to be dependable K-9s. These high energy, very trainable dogs are used for patrol, drug and explosive detection, search-and-rescue, and tracking. They are also used as ambassadors between police and civilians.

Ann and I are going to take a few weeks off to enjoy the holidays and work on our edits of BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE (FBI K-9s book2). The best of the holiday season to you and your family, and we’ll see you in the new year!

Photo credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Milwaukee Police Department

Want to join Jen’s newsletter to stay up to date on the latest publishing news and exclusive early content like cover reveals (two of which will be coming early in the new year)? Then sign up at the bottom of the home page! https://jenjdanna.com/

LONE WOLF is now out! Don’t miss this chance to start a great new series. It also makes a fantastic holiday gift for the dog or mystery/thriller lover in your life! You can find it as these fine retailers in hardcover, eBook and audiobook formats: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Chapters/Indigo, B&N, BAM, IndieBound, Target, Walmart, Hudson Booksellers.

K-9 Breeds: German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois

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Last week on the blog we started to look at some of the canine breeds used by law enforcement and search-and-rescue groups as their working dogs. Today, we’re continuing on with the topic, looking at the two types of dogs best known as ‘police’ dogs, namely German shepherds and their close cousin, the Belgian Malinois.

German Shepherds: Dating back to 1899, the breed was originally developed to herd sheep. But owners quickly noticed that these dogs were notable for their strength, intelligence, teachability, and obedience, so they were further bred and trained into specialized roles. German shepherds are known for their keen sense of smell and the ability to work amid distractions. In the world of modern law enforcement, they are the breed taking on the most diverse roles, including drug and explosives detection, tracking, patrol, apprehension, search-and-rescue, and cadaver detection.

Belgian Malinois: Also known as the Belgian shepherd, these dogs are slightly smaller and lighter than German shepherds. When used in the Middle East and other hot climates, they tend to be less prone to heat stroke. They are extremely intelligent, high energy dogs, and are currently the K-9 of choice for the secret service to guard the White House. As working K-9s, they are used for drug, explosives and arson detection, tracking, patrol, apprehension, search-and-rescue, and retrieving.

Next week, in our final installment, we’ll be looking at the beagle and bully breeds and their special roles in keeping citizens safe.

Photo credit: Gomagoti and Eric Wedin

Want to join Jen’s newsletter to stay up to date on the latest publishing news and exclusive early content like cover reveals (two of which will be coming early in the new year)? Then sign up at the bottom of the home page! https://jenjdanna.com/

LONE WOLF is now out! Don’t miss this chance to start a great new series. It also makes a fantastic holiday gift for the dog or mystery/thriller lover in your life! You can find it as these fine retailers in hardcover, ebook and audiobook formats: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Chapters/Indigo, B&N, BAM, IndieBound, Target, Walmart, Hudson Booksellers.

**Right now the eBook is specially priced at $2.99 until January 1, 2017. Want to try a new series but are concerned with the price? This is your time to get the book at a great sale price. But one for yourself or give it as a gift!**

K-9 Breeds: Labrador Retrievers and Bloodhounds

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Three weeks ago, we shone a spotlight on Bretagne, the last known surviving 9/11 search-and-rescue dog, who died this past year. This week on the blog, we’re going to start a series of posts about typical (and some less-than-typical) K-9 dog breeds, starting with Bretagne’s retriever family and moving onto a number of other well-known breeds including German shepherds, beagles and pit bull type dogs.

Labrador Retrievers: These dogs are bred in three main colours—black (better known as black Labs), yellow (better known as golden retrievers) and brown (better known as chocolate Labs)—but all three colours are well suited to be working dogs. They are noted for low levels of aggression, therefore they are not used for suspect apprehension or patrol. However, this personality trait makes them extremely suitable as search-and-rescue dogs. Additionally, these dogs have a very strong sense of smell, which is why they were originally used as retrieving dogs during the hunt. In the modern working dog world, that keen sense of smell is used for suspect tracking and arms, drugs, explosives, accelerant, and general object detection. Retrievers are excellent air scent and/or trailing dogs.

Bloodhounds: Bloodhounds were originally bred for hunting, but they became one of the oldest breeds to be used in police work. Since the Middle Ages, these dogs have been renowned for their skill in human tracking. Many find them comical looking, but their physiology actually aids in their work since their floppy ears and loose skin help in scent gathering. They are able to follow days-old scent over long distances, which makes them useful while tracking suspects, lost children, and missing pets. Bloodhounds can be willful and sometimes difficult to train, but a trained bloodhound is a huge boon to any law enforcement agency or search-and-rescue group fortunate enough to have one.

Next week, we’ll be back with what most people recognize as a police dog—the German shepherd and it’s close relative, the Belgian Malinois.

Photo credit: Stannate and John Leslie

Want to join Jen’s newsletter to stay up to date on the latest publishing news and exclusive early content like cover reveals (two of which will be coming early in the new year)? Then sign up at the bottom of the home page at https://jenjdanna.com/!

LONE WOLF is now out! Don’t miss this chance to start a great new series. It also makes a fantastic holiday gift for the dog or mystery/thriller lover in your life! You can find it as these fine retailers in hardcover, ebook and audiobook formats: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Chapters/Indigo, B&N, BAM, IndieBound, Target, Walmart, Hudson Booksellers.