A DOG NAMED DUKE

e [Music] [Music] oh [Music] oh5 e oh [Music] at a time when police departments are using helicopters computers high-speed Communications and other scientific equipment man's best friend is receiving ever more attention from law law enforcement agencies today police dogs are utilized by most major police departments across the country and all over the world a dog can do a number of things better than man and some that man can't do at all the dog with a badge provides protection and Aid to his Handler has greater agility than humans can such a building faster than a squad of sheriffs is especially alert to dangerous conditions at night and is turned out to be a faster detector of Narcotics and explosives than any known scientific instrument K9 cors have proved to be a great deterrent to Crime even though they are very Humane in their law enforcement for you can call back a dog but never a bullet hold it there police officer stand still Tangi house the introduction of a k9 core into a community may often be objetive to by politically motivated groups however the citizens quickly become aware of its value and the police dogs become one of the most important public relations tool for the Department in the late 50s the area around the famous Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore Maryland was infested with first snatchers muggers and rapist inspired by the work of Scotland yards dog unit the Baltimore City Police Department put the first two dogs on the streets in 1957 the results were amazing as the dogs moved in the thugs moved out Baltimore increased its K9 branch and many law enforcement agencies all over the country began using dogs today the operation of a k9 core follows a well-established program the sequences in this film are reenactments of actual happenings wherever possible the same dogs men and locations are shown first the story of Duke of Baltimore from the time he joined the K9 core to a very special day in the life of this dog and his new master the Baltimore K9 unit receives its dogs through donations a procedure followed in many other localities the man a member of the US state department has been assigned to an important overseas post and reluctantly has to find a new home for his young German Shepherd duke it was a tough decision but even more difficult for Duke who senses that something very ominous is about to happen but cannot grasp the reasons somehow he knows that he will never see his master again and that trying to chase after the car is just autal gesture Tom not the sergeant in charge of police dog training is Thoroughly familiar with Duke's background he checks him briefly for appearance disposition alertness and Agility then he prepares him for an experience Duke feels he could well do without a visit to the veterinarian a place filled with the scent of fear Duke gets a thorough Examination for infections heartworms and any physical defects x-rays are taken to detect subluxation a hip condition prevalent among German Shepherds and other dogs that would rule out the POS possibility of Duke becoming a police dog Duke's x-rays show no such problem and he gets a clean bill of help John an experienced officer has just joined the all volunteer K9 Corps an elite group of the department he has been looking forward anxiously to picking up his new partner Duke whose mood now matches the gloomy day feels that anyone who helps him get away from this place can't be all bad as a matter of fact this is the very effect that the K9 people want to achieve in order to create an immediate friendship between the dog and his new master Duke's next stop is Jon's home where he will be living from now on becoming a member of Jon's household is another new experience for Duke the police dogs of Baltimore live with their handlers a procedure followed by practically all police K9 cuse because the dog is with the officer constantly there is a closer bond between the man and his K9 partner also the department does not have to maintain expensive kennels and the Personnel to staff them the food and all medical services are provided by the city at an estimated cost of about $300 a year for each dog John's wife views the new member of the household with mixed feelings she can't help one wondering what Duke's powerful teeth could do to her small son despite all the reassuring reports about The Dog's kind disposition Duke is introduced to his new home he's very subdued but all the smell seemed to be good which is certainly a great improvement over the Animal Hospital early the next morning Duke and his master joined two somewhat advanced teams for basic training always under the supervision of the training Sergeant First Duke has to learn to heal on lead the dogs will walk on the left side of their handlers so that the officer's right hands will be free for Action well that isn't difficult anyhow Duke was used to Healing from his days as a civilian Stay Stay is one of the most important commands the dog will have to stay under the most confusing and difficult situations stay at first this is a hard command to learn but Duke does quite well by imitating the other dog which is one of the reasons for Group Training St down needs some help from John but Duke catches on quickly he after a few days Things become a little more difficult although this is still Elementary training Duke is taught how to heal off lead and again always to walk on the left side of his master Duke suddenly gets the idea to start some sort of game with a dog behind him he Duke but a sharp command lets him know that this is not the time to fool around on the next try he performs well Duke like most dogs is anxious to pleas still every once in a while they test their masters to see what will happen if they disregard orders again the all important command stay only this time off the leash then come first by voice then by hand signal and hold after a job well done the officers praised their animals it was during this training period that John and Duke met one of the Specialists of the Baltimore canine core the narcotics dog Shep and his Handler officer David win the Harbor Master has requested a Narcotics Team to help search a ship that is just returned from the Orient according to an informant a member of the crew has hidden a package of hashy aboard to be smuggled a sure at an opportune moment [Music] [Music] Shep is released to search at his own [Music] pace the Handler can see the chap is on ascent [Music] a kilo of hashish the Advanced Training of police dogs aims to develop their agility and stamina the dogs practice on increasingly difficult obstacles they have no problem in negotiating the low hurdles on duty the dogs may have to pursue suspects over fences and walls they are better equipped to do that than their handlers the medium are obstacles present no difficulty to Duke's powerful hind legs the tube is never popular among police dog novices Duke indicates that he would prefer to walk above it but he loses is the argument the 15t hurdle is attempted only after lots of practice on less impressive obstacles the trainers stand by to make sure that none of the dogs is injured Duke's performance makes his master very proud weeks of typical police training follow this obstacle teaches the dogs to jump through windows climbing ladders is against a dog's Instinct their paws are not equipped for such a task but after proper training dogs do very well on fire Escapes in pursuing suspects work on roofs however can be very dangerous to the animals some of them have fallen to their deaths from high places in their eagerness to pursue suspects handlers are now trained to prevent such accidents duuk must must not be gunshi he is taught to react immediately to the drawing of a gun the glitter of a steel blade triggers an instinctive attack any sudden move of a suspect provokes the dog into action the dog's ability to deal with such encounters May someday save his master's life an important function of a police dog is the guarding of suspects while they are being frisked and reacting immediately to any attack on his master [Music] in as much as the dogs can run faster than their handlers they are very useful in the apprehension of fleeing suspects they can Corner a fugitive and then wait until their Master arrives the officer is not tired out from the pursuit nor does he have to resort to using his gun but it isn't all work and training Duke at home now his home becomes a marvelous playmate for Jon's little boy Jean's initial fear of the dog has given way to a tremendous affection for the handsome animal Duke provides her with a sense of security when her husband is not at home she also finds out that her neighbors are happy with the dog's presence anything that does not fit into the established pattern instantly arouses Duke's watchful curiosity after 12 weeks of training John and Duke get ready for their first time on duty the sergeant who prepared them for this day wishes them the best of luck he's always quite solemn upon these occasions because he feels a responsibility for the future of the teams the initial day on a new job is always a memorable event and John is wondering how Duke will behave under actual Street conditions John and Duke will report back very frequently for refresher courses the two have now joined the 50 other mg teams who Patrol highfrequency crime areas the canine units are admired by many but feared by some the Baltimore Police administrators as well as their colleagues in other cities have always been greatly impressed at the way the crime rate falls off in neighborhoods that are patrolled by dogs the fear criminals have of police dog should be an interesting subject for psychologists is it an expression of guilt or the primordial fear of the wolf still lingering under the thin veneer of civilization John and his teammates often discuss the strange reaction of criminals to dogs and the deterrent capabilities of these animals in high incident crime areas John and Duke have been assigned to work the industrial area of the Southern section of Baltimore it is the last hour of their shift one day in April John observes a car passing through a red light and he sets out to follow the traffic viil [Applause] [Music] [Music] the driver who has run the signal seems to be cooperative to John it looks like a routine traffic ticket 13 Victor [Music] 499 repeat 6 Communications this is K104 John reports back to the station where he is welcomed by his fellow officers they've heard about the attempted attack over the police radio and are anxious to know exactly what occurred in the meantime it has been determined that the suspect is a parole violator who is being sought for two armed robberies and auto theft John explains how Duke acted in this his first emergency the dog becomes the center of attention and praise there is no doubt in John's mind that Duke knows what an important part he played in the incident and that he too is very happy that he lived up to his master's expectations Jane had talked to John over the telephone earlier and he assured her that he was okay but like so many wives of policemen she wants to see for herself only then will she permit herself to relax she turns her attention to Duke in her mind there is no doubt that Duke saved her husband's life nobody will ever know what was said but we can guess dogs like Duke work in police departments all across the nation and all around the world you will meet some of them oh [Music]