Three New Zealand Police dogs and their handlers fly to Melbourne this weekend in a bid to retain individual and team titles at the Australian and NZ Police Dog Trials.
Inspector Todd Southall, national coordinator police dogs, says New Zealand Police has won six of the seven trials since they first began in 1988.
“Our patrol and detector dog teams are very experienced so we’re hoping this bodes well for next week,” he says.
Competing in the patrol dog category are Senior Constable Owen Davies and Quid (Auckland) and Senior Constable Dave Robison and Isaac (Whakatane). Senior Constable Phillip (Tiny) Taylor and Murphy (Rotorua) are in the narcotics detector category.
Like other international canine travellers, Quid (3) and Isaac (8) - both German Shepherds - and Murphy (7), a black Labrador, will be vet checked and have their documentation inspected before flying out from Wellington.
During the six-day competition, teams will be tested in agility, speed, tracking, building and property searches, obedience and other tasks based on operational incidents. The competition concludes with a public display at Lakeside Oval in Melbourne on Saturday, 29 October.
The trials, held every three to four years, coincides this year with the 40th anniversary of the Victoria Police dog section.
