New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-09-08
DOG CONSTABULARY.
Paris May Use System as Vel az
Ne1C York.
Paris. August 81

recognized as the necessary auxiliary OF the
municipal police in six French towns Paris is
less enterprising than the departmental centres
in this respect, but NJ. Lepine. Project of Po-
lice. has taken the matter in hand, and is only
awaiting further developments and wider ex-
perience before adopting for the capital sys-
tenn of canine police organized larger scale
than has ever before been contemplated. Baron
Alberto de Lamberterie calls attention TO the
fact that the little seaport of Saint-NIaIo as
long ago the middle of the twelfth century
possessed a pack of twenty-fOur watchdogs
called "chens du guet" which let loose
within the town walls during the night and
rendered excellent service in protecting houses
and ships from robbers and freebooters. The
police kennels were maintained in full force
from the year 115j until March :. 1T1O and
thus for a period of els years the Saint-sfaIo
dog consta bulary was the pride of the little
Brittany port Each evening the curfew
bells rang the watchdOgs were unleashed. and
had the free run of the town. At an hour be-
fore dawn the chief of police. who also
master Of the kennels blew a huge brass
horn, assembled his pack and fed them with
mess of sailed fish and sleeps heads cooked In
large caudrOns. The dogs were then confined
to the kennels situated in the street which
to-day still bears the name Of venelle-aux-
Chiens The Saint-MaIo dog constabulary came
to a sad end however. March Z. ITO. when
a young naval lieutenant. Ansquer de Kerouarts
imprudentIy took leave of his sweetheart after
midnight and FASTENED alone through the streets
to rejoin his ship Being a stranger. he was set
upon by the police dogs. which mistoOk him
for malefactor and literally tore him to pieces
This young nobleman had been a favorite az the
Court of Versailles. and owing the interven-
ton Of Nine du Barry. then ali powerful. Louis
XIV gave orders to the JUICES baillis OF Saint
all he yrafc Of fro;-
During the First Empire. Napoleon encour-
aged the use of dogs to detect and capture
smugglers and the custom house dogs OF BEL
GUM became famous and rendered good ser
vice. dozen years ago experiments wers
made in Belgium and Germany with polics
dogs and the idea taken up in Francs.
where the first corps of dog eOnstabulary
organized at Pont-a-Mousson. near the German
frontier. Epinal followed suit. then Nancy and
afterward Neuilly- near Paris. and
now Rouen and Nantes have adopted the police
dog system and New York is talking of fol-
lowing suit.
NJ LApine. Project Of Police in Paris. recently
appointed a committee Of experts. composed Of
Comte d'Andigne and NM Maurice Quentin
and Emile Massard. 20 visit all the towns in
| Europe where this feature OF municipal
police in operation These gentlemen have
| just issued their report and unanimous IN
urging the immediate adoption OF dog
| stabulary for Paris. The German sheep dog is
| found 10 be the animal best adapted for polics
work but as this race does not exist IN France.
| the why. active sheep dogs OF the Beaucs and
! Of the Brie, and the grtfrons OF Brittany and
| Normandy. being trained to become canine
| constables- The competition trials highly
| interesting The police dog walks silently be-
/ side his master during the patrol rounds He
mas been taught TO do nothing except by COM
mand. At the word Seek C'Cherche-D the
dog starts forth at full speed IN search OF It's
quarry. and nine times OF ten will find the
malefaCtor, no matter how carefully he may be
concealed. The police dog will not attack the
offender unless ordered 10 do So The animal
Is trained 10 seize the fugitive by the upper
part OF the and hold him firmly by the
| teeth until the policeman arrives on the spot
| If told to Attack the animal flies with fury
at the fugitive's throat and drags him 70 ths
J ground. When ordered TO Let go! ("Iachez.D
the dog releases its victim. but stands IN watch
creant al the first effort to move away. The
dogs are trained to show no fear or hesitation
during their daily lessons TO the frequent firing
of blank cartridges. so that they pay no arten-
JiOn TO these weapons. and. indeed It would
require the use OF reyolveTs OF exceptionally
large Calibre TO infict wound sufficient 20 stop
the forward bound OF one of these large. power
full sheep dogs The animals are also taught
disregard all attempts made by strangers 70
win their favor by the stealthy of1er or DTS Oh
meat or of sweets.
men who unprecedented the "apaches." or mis-
Creants. were clothed in arnlor which protected
them from the teeth and claws of the attacking
! dogs. The committee expressed the opinion that
the mastiffs employed AT POnt-a-MOusson were
/ too feroCiOus for ordinary use. and that the big
St Bernards employed at Epinal were 700 large
and cumbersome. The sheep dogs, whether OF
the French German breed. are recommend
ed. These animals are endowed with reInarka-
bic intelligence. are splendid Jumpers and az
the same time have weight and strength sun
cient to overcome any resistance that can os
offered by a human being and their speed and
| scent era marvellous. The proposition TO make
use % the famous blOOdhounds OF Cuba and
! OF the former slave states has been rejected oy
! the Paris police experts who declare that these
/ huge animals cannot be kept under adequare
| control. and too ferocious for operations IN
/ large cities.
While the utility, and indeed necessity. Of the
police dog is recognized by the municipal
authorities In Paris. IL has been found that the
! famous lfesavfnS dogs. organized IN ISV- anu
/ trained to rescue persons from drowning IN the
Seine have turned out. after five years expert
| ence. to be a failure These dogs had been
| taught to plunge into the water and dive after
/ drowning persons. and yet all the while 10 keep
/ their eyes open as TO see the body 20 pe
! ished out of the river. This was accOruplisnsd
! by the dog and its master jumping together INTO
I the Seine while the man held in his hand large
| piece OF meat. The dogs would thus learn 20
| keep their eyes open even when under water 30
| not 10 loose sight OF the meat. but IL vas
| found that whenever they caught the persons
who acted dummies they would try to de-
/ them II they were food Moreover, Iasl
June q couple OF dogs that at the word OF COM
| ing caught him violently by the throat
with their teeth and struggled so savasely WIKI
| tore the poor man in twain Owing TO q NUM-
her OF discOuraging and disastrous experiments
that attended the performances OF the SENS
lifesaving dogs. that organization has nov been
disbanded. NJ. Lepine. the enterprising Prefect
of Police nevertheless has implicit cOnfdencs ID
the corps OF dog constabulary about 10 %