| NOTE:
GSRNE is presently undergoing a staff change.
You can email us at
pbgdevlin@verizon.net for general info
and guidance on placement criteria and advice on owner placement in a
working setting (what questions to ask etc...), but dogs are not being
evaluated at this time.
New England area law enforcement K9 units, Search and
Rescue Dog groups and other public service and public safety organizations
with K9 units or “working dogs” are always looking for a dog with "the
right stuff". Some of these organizations have asked GSRNE for assistance
in finding appropriate rescue dogs for their programs.
 The dog MUST be between the
ages of 10 months and 3 years. Any dog over 3 will NOT be accepted.
The dog cannot be fearful
or skittish – dogs with fear based aggression or "fear biters" will NOT be
accepted.
The dog MUST be
ball/toy-crazy! (would want to "sell his soul" for a ball/toy). He must
want to continue to play with a toy/ball for and extended period of time-
over 2 to 3 minutes with his desire to play with you growing and growing.
He must want to play with his toy/ball no matter where he is EVEN IF NOT
AT HOME.
You should be able to
take the dog to an unfamiliar area, and hide the ball/toy, and the dog
should commit himself to searching for the ball/toy even though there may
be people, cars, other animals, strange noises, etc. TEST THIS. Nothing
should distract the dog's desire to locate (using primarily his nose) the
ball/toy. This quality/intensity of desire to search and the dog’s
preference to use his nose over his eyes is of the utmost importance. Lack
of intensity/urgency to get the ball/toy is one of the main reasons for
not accepting a dog into a K9 unit training program.
The dog should not be afraid
of slippery surfaces. Test him on linoleum as well as other types of
surfaces - does he walk across it without hesitation?
T he dog should not be afraid of
sudden loud noises.
The dog must be in generally
good health. (Or if ill, have a quickly-treatable problem such as an ear
infection). Some police organizations will need to x-ray the dog prior to
accepting him- his hips and elbows must pass as healthy. If they do not,
the dog may be returned to you.
Conditions that will be checked on a per-dog
basis:
If the dog has bitten someone it may not rule him out. It will depend on
the unit and on the circumstances surrounding his aggressive incidents.
If he's a very confident dog, aggression history is less likely to be a
sticking point for an interested unit.
If the dog has some dog-aggression, this *may* not rule him out. Severe
dog-aggression will usually rule a dog out.
Most units prefer male dogs. Some units do accept females and are more
likely to when looking for a detection dog (narcotics, explosives
detection etc) this job may require her to be more social and “friendly”
and have the ball/toy drive at a very high level. Most units do not accept
females for patrol dog situations. |
