The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-11-01


ious looking person in civil clothes.
In many cases the central police
bureau maintains in its grounds ar
tistically arranged walls, water
jumps and other obstacles, as we'll
as regular staff of officers skilled in
training these dogs. They accustom
new canine recruits to hearing re-
volver shots, to make flying leaps
exceeding six feet, and to attacking
fugitives in the bend of the knee.
They are trained in this last respect
by pull at the leash when they
jump for the neck Thus, when the
policeman criminal" in charge of
the training feels the dogs muzzle
touch the back of his knee, he drops,
to show that the object is attained.
This operation often repeated, shows
the intelligent dog what the object
of the pursuit is and how it may he
best accomplished. After a time the
animal operates without being held
in leash, and yet instantly responds
to its masters whistle, no matter
how headlong may be the pursuit in
WHiCu IL IS engaged.
When an officer arrives on his beat
he releases his dog with the laconic
command, "Cherche." Instantly the
dog passes swiftly into ard around
farms and outhouses beyond the city
boundary. 1t knows all possible
places of concealment. for if during
the earlier stages of the training its
memory in this respect has been lax,
morsels of meat have been placed in
remote corners as an infallible guide
to these places.
The dog does more scouting in ten
minutes than it's we'll paid human
comrade could do in an hour. If il
barks or growls or in any way gives
notice of having found something
suspicious the patrol at once Joins
the dog. Each night guard, by the
way, carries revolver with twenty
rounds of ball cartridge, a whistle,
handouts and dark lantern.
Strict orders are given to the men
to prevent their dogs from picking
up bones or tempting morsels on the
beat. Some superb animals were lost
before the chief commissioner and
his veterinary surgeon settled on the
diet, which now renders the dogs al
most Indifferent to dellcacies casually
found in the night.
The men are warned never to take
away the body of a dog colleague
suddenly poisoned while on duty.
The malefactor Slrgues that the pa.
troll will take up the body of his
loyal and faithful friend and bear IT
back to the bureau, so leaving the
Held unguarded. The mere fact of
the poisoning of dog shows the
proximity of a criminal on the beat,
so the patrol must call for aid from
the next round if he wants it and
push on i'll search of the criminal.
Asterward he must carry the dogs
body to the police abattoir, so that
the veterinary surgeon may hold a
post-mortem and determine the cause
OF death. The poisons most com.
monty used are strychnine and prus-
sic acid. While on duty the dog
rarely quits the heels of its human
colleague, save to carry out the sharp
military words of command, Cher
che!" "Attaque!" and so on; but it
VIII rush to aid an officer on a neigh.
boring beat. on hearing the shrill sig.
nal for assistance
Before its first year is over, in.
deed, the dog is as admirably drilled
as the smartest Prussian infantry.
man. 1t obeys the word of command
without a moments hesitation. II
will leap fence, swim stream or
walk in front, behind or at the side,
according to its masters pleasure.
1t is hungry for work, pathetically
anxious to help. Wagging its tail
with which must al
ways b1 suppressed while on duty
1t is an amusing picture of impulsiye
zeal; great is its delight and triumph
when 1t makes an arrest.
Each canine "ofiicer" costs the pio-
neer city of Client a little more than
i've cents a day. M. van Wesemael
pointed out to me that thirty dog po-
lice cost the city only 1886 francs
year and did more than four times
the work that would have been ac.
complished by twelve men, who
would have cost at least 10000
francs.
One of the first foreign police of.
ficers to inquire into and adopt the
dogs was M. Leplne, Police Prefect
Of Paris. AT first eight of these fine
beasts were bought for M. Lepine.
These, Paris pioneers-Pelvoux
Paris. Turco, Cesar, D'Artagnan,
Medic, Diana and Athos-became
the pets of all Paris, visitors and
residents alike. They proved so sue
cessful that their number was fast
Increased, until now every one of
Lepine's agents piongeurs Is accom-
panied on his rounds along the Seine
quays by chien sauveteur.
The alert German Minister of the
Interior sent police commissary into
Belgium to Investigate for himself
the merits of the dog police. The re-
port OF this official as to efficiency
and economy was so striking that
within three years $50 German cor
porations had also installed dogs as
auxiliary police, and were soon sat
isfied, as also were many cities OF
Austria, Hungary and Italy, of the
canine policemans superb sense of
duty, as well as it's loyalty, vigilance.
fidelity, and its Indifference TO bribes
and salary alike.