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Most people and bullmastiff training manuals think that a police dog is used for finding drugs and bombs, but they have taken on more roles as the years move forward. Dogs are used to detect accelerants in possible arson cases, track suspects, search and rescue and even crowd control. Most police dogs are not trained to be aggressive. In fact, if a dog is too aggressive, it will either be rejected or possibly turned into a prison K9. In prisons, the dogs are expected to be aggressive with anyone other than its handlers. A public police dog is bred and trained for its personality and skills.

It isn’t cheap for a police department to purchase and care for a police dog. It actually costs thousands of dollars to purchase just one dog. When a police department decides to purchase a police dog, they are getting a dog who has had excellent training and is ready to start working. Most often, the designated handlers will spend a few weeks with the dogs prior to bringing it on board for the department.

A police dog will live with the handler and his or her family. Many police departments will hold fundraisers in order to raise the necessary money to purchase a police dog. When all is said and done, a dog may end up costing around $10,000. The benefits of having a police dog on duty for a department makes the purchase more than worthwhile.

Not only are police dogs almost an essential in many daily functions, but it is an excellent way to get more involved with the community. Public demonstrations and activities gets the public interested not only in the police dog but also the department. It gives the officers and the citizens a chance to interact on a more comfortable basis. When citizens feel more comfortable with law enforcement, they are more likely to cooperate and bring forth information should it be necessary.

After 9/11, police dogs were brought to New York from all parts of the country. For days, those police dogs worked endlessly trying to locate anyone who might need rescued and bodies of those who had not survived. Those dogs worked in the same hazardous conditions that volunteers were working in. However, they were able to get into some areas in which humans were not. Just as there were many heroes among humans during that emotional time, there were many police dogs that turned out to be heroes as well.

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Canine distemper is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus attacking the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems of dogs. Although dogs are the most commonly affected, Canine Distemper is also seen in foxes, ferrets, mink and many other carnivores. These infected animals are often the cause of the spread of this disease to domesticated dogs.

Canine Distemper is spread through bodily secretions (nasal fluid for example. The most common way it is caught is by breathing in particles secreted by infected dogs. For several weeks after recovery, a dog will still carry the virus that can lead to further contamination if not properly quarantined.

Upon contracting the virus, dogs often appear “normal” for several days. The initial symptoms of the disease are runny nose, water eyes and a sore throat. The dog’s temperature will increase to approximately 103.5°F (39.7°C). Over the next couple of days the symptoms worsen with the tonsils becoming enlarged, and the dog develops diarrhea. After approximately four weeks the virus begins to affect the brain. The dog will start twitching, which will gradually turn in to larger convulsions. The convulsions normally become so frequent and violent, that euthanasia is often carried out at this stage.

At this time, there is no cure for the actual virus that causes Canine Distemper. Treatment consists of controlling spread and severity of secondary symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea. Constant care is needed to make your dog as comfortable as possible so the proper use of dog housebreaking pads may be helpful.

The best thing to do is to have your dog immunized against this disorder. This will make it unnecessary to put yourself and your dog through the hardship and heartache associated with Canine distemper.

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