A criminal typically fears being chased down by a police dog, yet a hiker lost in the woods would see the canine as man?s best friend.
The Maryland Natural Resources Police recently received two black Labrador retrievers in order to aid authorities in tracking down people and animals.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission donated the canines. Their handlers at the NRP, Cpl. April Sharpeta and Officer Curt Dieterle, just returned from training camps in Florida, where they spent 400 hours, and they couldn?t be more thrilled with their new partners.
“You spend more time with your partner than your family,” Dieterle said when referring to his new canine partner, Blu, who has now moved into his home and adjusted to family life.
“It?s what works,” he said.
Both Blu, 17 months, and Bear, Sharpeta?s 2-year-old partner, were certified through the United States Police Canine Association, where they were trained in tracking, evidence recovery, and deer and fowl detection. The canines will prove to be invaluable when tracking down lost hikers and illegally possessed wildlife, according to NRP officials.
Dieterle said Labradors are a better fit for this type ofwork than bloodhounds because, “unlike police dogs, which bite, we might be looking for a lost child ? not necessarily a criminal.”
When looking for a lost hiker, he said, a dog that bites would be dangerous. “Police dogs are trained for obedience,” whereas Bear and Blu have not been as aggressively trained, Dieterle said.
The dogs spend five hours a week with their handlers, Dieterle said. One of the dogs? favorite drills is to sniff around boxes on the ground and find the one that has turkey underneath it. The handlers encourage their partners to sniff and find the meat, and reward them once they do.
Sharpeta said one of her favorite parts about having a canine partner is that “they work to please.” The dogs see their training as a game, rather than a job to do. “They play the tracking game,” she said.
