Hi. I'm Zak, I'm a 2 year old German Shepherd dog and I work for Norfolk Police.
I am what is known as a 'General Purpose' dog. General Purpose dogs work all over Norfolk helping police officers to find criminals and evidence. Sometimes we help to find missing people too.
I have been trained to search buildings, gardens and large open areas. I can do this a lot more quickly than a police officer, because I can move a lot faster. I also have a sensitive nose which helps me to follow where someone else has been. This is known as 'tracking'.
If I find a criminal when I am tracking him, I am trained to be able to stop him getting away by holding on to him with my teeth. This is called 'chase and detain'.
Quite often if I find a criminal and start barking at him he will stop what he is doing without me touching him because I look like this!
Quite often if I find a criminal and start barking at him he will stop what he is doing without me touching him because I look like this!
To be a police dog I have to be fit, I have to do lots of training and I have to do what my handler tells me to do.
My handler is PC John Harwood. We work and train together as a team.
To begin with PC Harwood and I had to complete a ten week training course. I learnt, how to bark on command, how to track and how to chase and detain someone.
My handler is PC John Harwood. We work and train together as a team.
To begin with PC Harwood and I had to complete a ten week training course. I learnt, how to bark on command, how to track and how to chase and detain someone.
PC Harwood and I sometimes work during the day and sometimes work at night. It's not unusual for me to start work at 4 O'clock in the afternoon and finish at 1 O'clock the following morning. Dog teams often work in the evenings and at night time because this is when the criminals are most active.
PC Harwood and I travel to work around Norfolk in a van which has been specially designed to carry dogs in the back. I don't mind travelling in the van which is a good job because we travel all over the county from King's Lynn in the West to Great Yarmouth in the East.
I've got lots of energy and usually I get three walks a day. My favourite walk is when PC Harwood and I spend an hour outside exercising. We usually go to a big open space where I can run around safely and practice some of the skills I need to do my job.
I live with PC Harwood but not in his house because I'm not a family pet, I am a working dog. I have my own dog house and my own run in PC Harwood's garden.
I live with PC Harwood but not in his house because I'm not a family pet, I am a working dog. I have my own dog house and my own run in PC Harwood's garden.
I always look forward to meal time. It's important that I keep fit and healthy so I have a special type of dog food which PC Harwood measures out for me very
carefully. I'm not allowed to get fat!
If I've worked really hard during the week I sometimes get a treat. PC Harwood makes me a cake. I don't think you'd like it very much though because it's called Pilchard cake and has fish, eggs, flower and garlic in it!
carefully. I'm not allowed to get fat!
If I've worked really hard during the week I sometimes get a treat. PC Harwood makes me a cake. I don't think you'd like it very much though because it's called Pilchard cake and has fish, eggs, flower and garlic in it!