The bloodhound is the only breed of dog whose evidence is admissible in US courts. The bloodhound, originally bred as a hunting dog, has been used in court systems dating back to the Roman period. A single bloodhound has 230 million scent receptors lining their nose; whereas the German Shepard has only 225 million scent receptors, and humans have five million. Due to their ability to pick up scents, bloodhounds have been known to trail individuals for several hours to several days.
More about law enforcements animals:
- Currently the only animals used by law enforcement are horses and dogs. Unlike dogs, which are used to trail suspected individuals and drug or explosive searches, horses are used to maintain safety and security in large crowds.
- Police dogs must remember several hand and verbal commands.
- The most common breed used by law enforcement is the German Shepard followed by the Dutch Shepard and Belgian Malinois.
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More Info: National Geographic
Discussion Comments
From reading these tidbits, you can definitely tell that bloodhounds are some of the most efficient dogs. What's best about them also is that they don't only have to be used by officers, although that's a very important method. If we had that sort of smell and sensing they had, imagine how easily we'd be able to track things down.
Even though dogs and horses are the only animals that are used by law enforcement, does anyone know if there's a history of other animals being involved with police officers? Perhaps this is the case, but things just didn't work out. After all, some animals are better suited for specific purposes than others, as we can see in this case. Interestingly enough though, I don't think I have ever seen a horse being used by officers. Perhaps they are only used if a riot is soon to break out.
In relation to the second bullet point, while it's definitely important for dogs to remember the command of their owners, in the case of police dogs, this is even more crucial. Using an example, let's say that there was a drug bust, or someone was shot and severely injured. One thing that the officers depend on are the dogs, who can rightfully crack down on the case, or give chase if the suspect tries to run away. However, things could go wrong if the dog forgets to obey the commands of its master.
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