No school bell rings, but one by one the A-team puppies come bounding into the training room at the Cumuto canine police facility like happy children returning to class.
With laser-like focus, the Belgian Malinois/German shepherd puppies focus on brown wooden boxes attached to the wall. The first of four litters of police puppies search for a target odour – drugs like heroin, cocaine and marijuana, or part of an explosive device.
The puppies work to earn a chance to play with a soft yellow ball on a string that their trainers, Cpl Shane Chase and PC Leon Lopez, toss from behind them. The puppies' sinewy little bodies leap for the toys and then play tug-of-war with the officer.
It all looks like fun, but Chase and Lopez are evaluating the puppy's personalities and performance to decide exactly what discipline these dogs will perform as police dogs.
Who will be the narcotic detection and tactical dogs? Who will be the explosive detection or cadaver dogs?
Born last October, the A-team puppies later had a setback when they got parvovirus, but regained their strength and most recovered. One unnamed puppy died; then Ati nearly died. The police worked around the clock to save the sick puppies.
Now, the males – Alpha, Ammo, Apollo, Arrow and Axel – along with Aniva, Ava, Ashes, Anya and Ati, prepare to officially join the police-dog working force when they reach 18 months old. The puppies demonstrate surprising progress. They have their own individual personalities and make progress differently.
“Some puppies develop gradually. Some struggle, and it just clicks overnight,” said Lopez.
All have their endearing qualities, although Axel can be frustrating with his lackadaisical attitude.
“Axel doesn’t have a good work ethic,” said Chase.
[caption id="attachment_907389" align="alignnone" width="1024"] WPC Figuero and PC Lopez of the Canine Unit coach Apollo of the A-Team puppies through the obstacle course in Cumuto. -[/caption]
Axel was on sick leave for a ligament problem and is still at the beginning stages of training, looking for his toy in an elbow-shaped PVC pipe. If he stops and fixes his gaze on the pipe where the toy is, he’ll be rewarded with that ball on a string. The canine police still have a soft spot for Ati.
“She fought for her life when she had parvovirus, and she tries so hard. She just doesn’t have the body to do much of the work, and she knows it,” said Chase.
Although tests so far haven’t revealed any congenital hip problem, Ati’s hind legs shake and she has a slight limp.
“If only I could put Ati’s brain in Axel’s body,” said Chase.
Ati is the only dog to have an officer solely dedicated to her. Cpl Premnath Maharaj takes her for long walks and spends extra time with her because of her hip issues and the time she lost from being so sick.
"She's going to make it," Maharaj insisted. “She’s resilient."
To become dual-purpose narcotic/tactical dogs, the puppies will need tenacity. They must be strong-willed and brave.
Tactical dogs must operate in a variety of settings a
