FRENCH POLICE DOGS.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9462, 3 June 1909, Page 6

FRENCH POLICE DOGS.

THE TERROR OF THE APACHES. • twelve months’ furtber'trainEhe Paris police dogs which were .exhibited a year ago have again , beenshown in public at Velodrome Buffalo, in Nenilly, and-their owners baVe been warmly complimented by a large by crowd of spectators. The idea of, making use .of well trained dogs to assist policemen at night, chiefly in outlying quarters, is making headway, though rather slowly. When one sees the remarkable in telllgenca displayed by these dogs one asks at once why it is that more use .is not made of' them. The chief inherent difficulty lies in the fact that the dog not only requires long and patient training, bub Becomes attached to the master who trained him. It would be necessary, therefore,, for each policeman to train his own dog, and as a year is hardly sufficient to accomplish this object, it is apparent at once how much of the policeman’s time would be taken up, apart from his ordinary duties. The feeding and, keeping of large dogs of this type has to be considered, and finally only very few .men in the police force would have the tact,, patience, and necessary skill'to train a dog. These objections, of course, while very serious, are not insurmountable, and the promoters of the police deg: theory hope in time to overcome them. Meanwhile, in several Parisan. suburbs, people have clubbed together and formed a sort of society for the training and maintenance of police dogs. There is, lor example, a “Ligue de Seouritie" at Montrougo, and another at BoisOolombes. Both have undertaken to have degs trained at their own expense. They exhibited two fine specimens, Bois-Coionabes presenting a dog named Franco, and Montrouge another called Toby. Franco made a vigorous attack on a policeman concealed as an apache, whom he had ho trouble in finding. Toby gave an equally good account of himself, and astonished the spectators by 'a leap over an obstacle two and a half yards.high. The experiments, which began yesterday, were continued to-day, and some fifteen dogs went through similar exercises. The best impression on the whole was made by a dog called Max, Belonging to the Police Dog Club, and trained by a policeman of Boulogne-sur-Seine. Hia dooiilty and the general intelligence displayed by him were almost human. During the past year many of these dogs rendered valnable service, one of them having helped to discover four burglars who had taken refuge in a wood near Versailles,'and were dividing their booty when the dog led the police to the spot, and another helping to trace a whole gang of thieves at a railway station. The Bcis-Oolombes and Montrouge leagues state that apaches have . considerably diminished in those suburbs owing to the terror inspired by the dogs, ,