New Police Dog Joins the Claremont Force
The Claremont Police Department (CPD) recently welcomed their new patrol dog, Luther. After six weeks of training in Fontana as part of the K9 program, Luther and Officer Mike Snyder, his caretaker and handler, were introduced to the public as they began their service together. Luther, as an apprehension dog, will be the first patrol dog that the CPD will have, who is trained in bomb and explosives detection. Luther went through the basic six-week K9 patrol academy put on by the Ontario program, which covers obedience, detection, and the training and sharpening of senses.
The CPD has two police dogs; Dodger is a British Labrador and was CPD’s first police dog. He specializes in finding and identifying narcotics. Luther is a two-year old Belgian Malinois and will be staying with Snyder for 24 hours a day. Snyder has been a police officer for seven years and plans on Luther staying with him through his time at the CPD. From now until Luther retires, they will work together on obedience, discipline, and other fundamentals. Luther will improve his skills in order to better detect bombs. Luther will likely retire in eight to ten years, depending on how he ages and how his health condition and mentality are progressing. These, in addition to other factors, will need to be accounted for.
Typically, police dogs are Belgian Malliou, German Shepherds, or Dutch Shepherds, and they can begin training anywhere from 12 to 36 months. Due to the fact that dogs are more obedient and easier to train compared to other animals, they are the best candidates to help aid in law enforcement. Another advantage dogs have over other animals is that their noses are stronger, more sensitive to their surroundings, and can identify anything from narcotics to finding where a felon might be hiding. This would be impossible for a person to do without the help of a police dog.
Canines have become a vital part of the police force. Hopefully, the CPD will be able to introduce more canines into the force to help assist officers with their duties in law enforcement.
Hello there! Our goal is to provide relavent, engaging journalism for readers of all ages. Your donation will support the student journalists of the Wolfpacket at Claremont High School, and will allow us to purchase equipment, print our monthly issues, and enter in journalism competitions. We appreciate your consideration!
