K9 Corp: Sabre's Tale

Prologue

My name is Sabre and I am a male german shepherd and a fully trained police dog, a fact which I am very proud of, as it is well known that not many dogs or handlers for that matter get to make the grade. I have been living with my partner PC Stephen Clarke since I was 12 weeks old (by this time I had been fully vaccinated and microchipped so that I would not pick up any nasty diseases and if I got lost I could be traced and returned to the police.)
Stephen is the most loyal human a dog could wish for and I would easily lay down my life to save his. Stephen would be seen in human eyes as being attractive, he has short brown cropped hair, blue eyes, a slim athletic figure, a face that nearly always seems to be smiling. I have exceptionally good hearing and I could not help but overhear the women in the office  compare him to Adonis when he was out of earshot. Who Adonis is I have no idea I am just a dog. It was just the way they said it, humans get all mushy when they are in love, unlike us dogs who just stick to the basics.
We  first met when Stephen  had completed two years of duty as a police constable and after undergoing a two week course to see if he was suitable, he passed and  was allocated to me. I was just a young pup then, twelve weeks old with floppy ears, large paws, green/blue eyes ( as it takes a while till they get their pigment) an insatiable appetite and a fluffy  black and tan coat. I found it very strange at first as I was parted from my mother and siblings and feeling rather anxious I remember keeping Stephen awake for two hours until he put my basket in his bedroom which is frowned upon by most dog training manuals where I fell asleep at once.
Now on to the embarrassing subject of toilet training I can remember lots of accidents, which at the time my infant bladder could not control, from leaving puddles on the kitchen floor to leaving a parcel in Stephen's favourite slippers, oh he was cross!  He never hit me but the tone of his voice sent shivers down my spine, especially when he used a dogs most hated word, dare I say it....NO! followed by the even worse one BAD DOG! I still hate those words today but  now  they are seldom used as I am a good dog, although sometimes I can be a little bit too enthusiastic, like when I bark in the police van on my way to work.   
                                                                                                                                           
 I think in all I was quite a quick learner and learned to scratch at the door or whine when I needed to go out when I was fifteen weeks old.
I grew up quite quickly , I had to go once a month to a police dog training centre to see how my development was coming along and many officers marvelled at my confirmation, a fine specimen indeed  and when I was around six months my puppy coat was nearly gone and I now sported a  gloss black and tan coat.
Time flew and I learnt many knew tasks such as sit, stay and all the other basic comands that an ordinary dog would learn, at ten months I had to go on a five day course to test my ability, I was pretty nervous and I could tell that Stephen was too. We need not have been  as Stephen and I already had a good raport and I knew a bit more than some of the 'rookie' dogs there, we passed with flying colours. I lived the life of a normal cosetted pet for another two months then it was time for my training. It was a twelve week  course and it was devised to produce the best results in almost every situation which a dog would  face when  on the beat. It was reward and praise based training, the first part I knew already, basic obedience sit, stay, down, come and to walk at heel on and off the lead. The training then became more practical and we had to learn tracking which I enjoyed very much as there is nothing a dog likes more than using his nose and finding things, for every item found be it a person, drugs or explosives a reward is given, for me it was a knotted piece of rope as I love to play tug of war, when an item was found I had to bark to alert my handler. At times my training was quite grueling as I had to learn how to scale verticle walls, to climb ladders and to track in all sorts of different terrains and weather conditions and I had to learn how to search and find criminals in open country, wooded areas and buildings. I had to chase  'criminals' which I enjoyed very much being of a breed used to herd animals. When near I had to stand off barking aggressively to try and intimidate the suspect. If they decided to run my partner would try to get them to stop and if that failed it was my job to attack, grabbing their arm or what ever else I could reach to restrain them without causing too much damage. The part which would have worried me if I thought about it was that I could get shot or hurt through being attacked and wounded, but we were trained to deal with these sort of situations and by the time my fourteen weeks were over I felt I could deal with anything.         
There were ten dogs all there to make potential police dogs ranging from german shepherds like myself to cocker spaniels, each one there hoping that they would make the grade. By the end of the training there were only six dogs left, four of them would be consigned to our unit.                                                                                                                                                           
 I received a strange ribbon like collar with a gold star on it with the word police engraved on it ( I suppose I consider myself lucky, it could have just as easily said sheriff or deputy!) It was Stephen's graduation present to me as he always did like westerns. I also recieved this strange cuff made of some sort of blue material that went on my right fore leg it had a small brass plaque engraved with my name. When I started work I found out that it had some sort of biometric  chip which recognised me when told 'to give paw' and this   was used when I was brought into the kennels or if I had to go to court, all my personal data and records were kept on it. This included veterinary information, personal information like my name, age that sort of thing and most important of all my conduct records which told people whether I was a good dog or not. Which is the most vital bit of information there is because if you have been a good boy or girl and you get into trouble i.e biting a prisoner too hard and it is a first time offence the case may go in your favour.





Chapter 1 My New Job

It was a cold January morning in London when PC Clarke and I were on our way to start our first day as a fully competant dog unit, all the scents were stronger than usual because of the early morning frost, car exhaust hung in the air, I could smell man, each one similar but different and I could feel the cold breeze stirring my coat I hunched slightly as a particular strong breeze whipped dust into my eyes. Then suddenly I smelt a smell I recognised from my training and started forward pulling at my lead. PC Clarke tried to restrain me and said, "Easy boy, what's got into you" and stroked my back, I still continued to pull on my lead and started making excited yelps as the scent of what I was following got closer. I  started barking, my partner then knew that I had found something and that I was indicating  underneath the car. Beneath the car was a large briefcase and a man who was hiding underneath.
Stephen said, "Alright Im going to give you a chance to come out on your own accord, If you don't come out I will have to release my dog."
This was my cue I started to bark all the more trying to show as many teeth  as possible, spittle flew from my jaws. The man came out from underneath the car.
Stephen said, "Thats it nice and slow, no quick movements, you don't want to give Sabre the wrong idea do you?"                                                                                                            

The man shook his head

"Put your hands where I can see them and lean against the car, thats it now put your hands palm down on the roof of the car."  Stephen advised

Stephen then began to search the man who also had a rucksack with him, the man had small amounts of drugs on him,  an ounce of cocaine  and 2 ounces of marajuana were found in his pockets, but the biggest haul came from the bag which contained 2 kilos of cocaine, he then looked in the briefcase which contained over £300,000  worth of money. Sabre had caught a drug dealer and Stephen read the man his rights and cuffed him because the police station was just down the road they decided to walk and when the man started to struggle. I gave him my meanest growl and bark, which I knew would put the fear of God into many people.  As Stephen was about to retrieve the evidence another police man turned up.

"Need a hand, thats an awful lot of stuff youv'e got there and I see youv'e managed to catch Jake, wev'e been after him for a while, hes been dealing in this area for months. "How on earth did you manage to catch him?"

"It was Sabre he just started going beserk and I looked under the car and there he was." replied Stephen.
"Ok, you take Jake and I'll take the evidence there's to much  for you to handle alone, that's a good dog youv'e got there. I haven't seen you and your dog around before, are you new?"
"Yes, my name is Stephen Clarke and this is our first day, Sabre here is fresh out of training, I suppose you would call us rookies."

The Officer laughed, "My name is Mike Hargreave, my dog's in the car over there." he gestured with his head towards a car parked a little way off.
"His name is Scimitar and he is one of the most experienced police dogs in the force. I was about to get him out, when I noticed you struggling with the dealer and the evidence" Stephen glanced over  at the car and there was the biggest german shepherd looking at him with his head sticking out the of the window.
"Yes, he's some dog, a fine specimen, I've never seen a shepherd that big before." Stephen complimented.  I could not help but glance at the dog in the car myself and I noticed that he was staring at me intently with an inquisitive look in his eyes, our gaze met and held for a minute and I felt myself not being able to hold his gaze. I lowered my eyes and decided to look at Stephen instead.

"Yeah, he sure is and yes, he is large for a shepherd but theres not one dog that can match him in the force, mind you if yours keeps on getting results like he did today who knows." Mike replied
Scimitar barked as if saying no dog is as good as me.

Mike said to his dog "Not yet, but this one might, he shows great promise, it took you two weeks to get your first result."

Scimitar gave his partner a hurt look and pulled his head back in the car.

"Now I've done it Scimitar,  gets quite sensitive and he likes to think that he will stay at the top forever, anyway I had better get him out of the car he gets impatient,  I will see you inside." and with that he went to get Scimitar.

Stephen and I took the suspect inside, a short time later, Mike arrived with Scimitar who looked even bigger when he stood next to me.
Scimitar was quite a fearsome dog to look at up close. He was a sable German Shepherd who had been on the service for six years, he sported many scars from the injuries he had sustained when on duty, he had distinguished himself nicely having aprehended 70 criminals, 10 of which were armed.  The worst of these scars was a slash across one eye which gave him a menacing visage and a gash in the foreleg where the wound was so deep that the fur would not cover it . He also had a large number of other scars, he had been, shot in the shoulder and in both his flanks, he had knife slashes to his side and hindquarter . He had three deep scars which ran along the side of his neck and a large nick had been taken out of his ear. These injuries were caused by another police dog who had tried to challenge him, the  dog had wanted to kill Scimitar and that is why the wounds on his neck are so near his main artery. But luckily at the last moment Scimitar, used his strength to throw off his attacker; rather than kill him, he just ripped at his ear and raked a deep gash in the side of the dog's head. Since then no dog has ever dared try to vie for leadership and Scimitar leads uncontested.
I had never seen a dog with so many scars, and the idea of it all filled me with trepidation, was this what the future had in store for me?

The dealer was processed, the evidence was put into the evidence room and the man was put in one of th cells.
Stephen, Mike, Scimitar and I went down to the kennels, where I noticed Scimitar looking back over his shoulder at me with that strange look in his eye again. I lowered my vision and looked at the floor. On the way to my kennel  Stephen ruffled my ears and said to me.

"Good boy, I bet there are not many police dogs who get a result like this on their first day, if you carry on like this maybe you will get known and who knows further down the line your name may appear alongside famous police dogs."                                                      
 High praise indeed for an aspiring dog trying to get known and recognised for ambition, I would have to tread carefully though as I would not want to put the other dogs noses out of joint.

The police officers later all congratulated Stephen  for getting  a dealer off the streets and for the massive haul he had brought in, they also praised me saying I did well for a rookie.
I on the other hand was in the kennels where I told the dogs of my success.
I heard Scimitar say
"Now youv'e done it lad, many dogs in here don't like it when you tell them of your success. It only upsets them, especially when you get a result on your first day, never mind I shall try to stay around and keep an eye on you."

I was puzzled why would the dogs be upset, they were distinguished police dogs and I was just a rookie, but it was true I could hear them talking amongst themselves and could hear the abuse some of them threw in my direction. Words like 'mangy young cur' and 'fleabitten catbait' reached my ears, two of the worst insults a dog could recieve. I felt miserable and dejected. I didnt think I would ever fit in and I sighed and put my head on my paws a miserable creature indeed.
I heard one of them say.

"That pup needs to be put in his place and it will be me who is going to do it. I'll hurt him so badly he will be out of action for weeks."

Scimitar shouted " That's enough Steele I am the boss around here and you will do no such thing if I am here and even if I am not you will still be punished."
Steele muttered under his breath 'stupid old windbag'

"Hey, young dogs like you should show a little respect for your superiors, if you don't learn some manners I shall punish you myself." Schnapps snapped

I felt a little better knowing that Scimitar and Schnapps were there to defend me, but they would not be there all the time.

A week passed and in that week we had successfully aprehended four criminals, one of them a ringleader for a crime ring and it was myself under Stephen's guidance who managed to capture them, there was a great celebration among the police force that night as the man had been wanted for months and he was responsible for many a violent crime.
The threat from the other dogs still loomed over me and in particular, the one from  Steele stuck in my mind, it sounded like he really wanted to hurt me.
I was in my kennel, when I saw Mike take Scimitar out for a walk, I had just seen Schnapps leave to patrol his beat. My partner PC Stephen Clarke and Officer Ben Stone came in they had been called to an incident a suspected robbery.  

Now I was worried as Ben Stone was Steele's handler, Steele looked at me and licked his fangs and said. "Now you will see how I deal with dogs who do not know their place."

I tried to placate him " I didn't mean no trouble Steele, I was only trying to fit in."

Steele snapped "Its too late now you flea bitten cur of a mongrel bitch, now you'll know what it is like to feel pain and they don't call me Steele for nothing, my fangs are the sharpest on the block, once I sink my teeth into something it never escapes."

"Please, don't do anything if Scimitar found out you would really be in trouble."

Steele laughed and said, "It's ok loser, I was just having a little fun, I wouldn't really bite ya." I did not notice the sly and deceitful glint in Steele's eye.

Stephen  had just got me out of the kennel,  just as Ben Steele's handler was doing the same with his dog, as soon as Steele was out of his run he lunged and slashed my shoulder and bit me deep my shoulder and then  in my left foreleg   before the handler had a chance to react. I yelped and screamed and the handler managed to prize Steele's jaws off me and restained him, he scolded him and apologised to my handler.

"Sorry, Steve I don't know  what came over him, it is the first time he has gone for a police dog before  and he has never caused this much damage."

Steve sighed not wanting to start an argument, he replied, "Its alright Ben, Sabre probably looked at him wrongly and maybe he just snapped. They are animals after all, you take the call and don't forget to tell Brian to get Blaze. whilst I get Sabre examined by a vet."  

Brian was on standby  in case anything happened, there was always another handler to step in if anything went wrong.

I heard Steel laugh  as he was leaving the kennel block and he said, "Now thats what happens to dogs who don't know their place fleabait, now you have the mark of Steele on ya! ha!ha! ha!."

Blood was dripping from my shoulder and from my foreleg onto the floor and a deep burning pain caused me to wince, I shivered with the shock, I could not believe that a dog would attack me unprovoked. I generally got on with other dogs and never had another dog tried to bite me before.                                                                                                               

 Stephen bent down and examined my wounds, there was a deep slash where Steele's jaws had rended my shoulder and my leg had been bitten down to the bone, you could see the whiteness shining through my wound.  I growled a warning and snapped at his hand when he gently parted my coat to get a closer look at my wounds, I immediately felt ashamed knowing that I had snapped at him and licked his hand and whined. He led me slowly out of the kennel block, where I hobbled out.
Stephen and I went to the inspectors office where he explained what happened.
He said, "Would it be possible if I could take leave to take Sabre to the vets? As he has been attacked by one of the other dogs and he looks as if he has been hurt pretty bad."

The inspector looked me over and he could not believe the damage which had been inflicted on me.

"Of course, I take the dog that attacked him was Steele, he always picks on the rookies, but he has never bitten any of them before, he must have taken a particular dislike to your dog for some reason." the inspector said

"Thank you sir, I think I'll go now he is getting blood all over your office." Stephen said and left for the vets

Luckily the vets was just next door and the vet was able to see me straight away, I had to be muzzled which I did not like very much and grumbled a complaint, Stephen quieted me and restrained me whilst the vet began her examination. It soon became clear that I needed stitches to my shoulder wound  as some of my muscle had been torn, the leg wound would be even harder to treat as the edges were serated and that would mean it would be hard to stitch. I would have to be  anaesthetised as it would cause me too much pain to stitch the wounds whilst I was conscious.

Stephen stayed with me as the nurse clipped some fur off my front leg and inserted the needle containing the tranqualiser. A couple of seconds later I could feel its effect, my vision went out of focus and everything merged together, I shook my head to try to clear my vision and opened my bleary eyes, the light blinded me and I close them again, I gave a litle whine not knowing what was happening to me, Stephen stroked my head to sooth me and as I was lifted onto a table, I knew no more. At this point Stephen left his mobile number and returned to the police station to complete some paperwork, the inspector came in and asked about me, wondering how bad my wound was and Stephen told him about my muscle damage and that I would need stitches.

He knew that this meant that he was a police dog down for up to two weeks and decided that it would be best if Stephen took leave to look after me.

Meanwhile at the vets I was getting treated, the muscle in my shoulder needed stitching and then the skin was also stitched, my leg wound was even more complicated an operation, my muscle needed stitching there too and  the uneven skin surfaces had to be trimmed so that they could be stitched back together, they managed this and left a small drain in so the fluids could drain out they then put gauze over my wounds, wrapped it with cotton wool and bandaged my leg with a cohesive bandage  from just above my elbow to  my paw so that it would not stick to my fur.

At 17:30 Stephen got a phone call from the vets saying I was fit enough to be collected, he signed off and came to collect me. What a sorry state I was! I had 14 stitches to my shoulder and 24 on my leg as the muscle had to be sutured. I sported a daft lampshade around my neck and I could not walk properly, I kept on bumping into things and my vision was blurred. Stephen helped me to the patrol car and lifted me onto the back seat and started the ignition. I lay on my side and rested my head on Stephen's work coat, the motion and my blurred vision was making me feel nauseous so I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
When I awoke I found myself in my basket near a roaring coal fire, Stephen was sat near by watching me. I got out of my basket and staggered up to him wincing with pain, I needed reassurance and comfort and knew there was no better place to get it than to go to him. I rested my head on his knee and stared into his eyes, he gently lay his hand on my head and soothingly caressed my ears.

I had been with him for nearly a year now and no dog would know such love unless he was assigned to a partner and obviously the same could be said about the humans, the bond is strong and unbreakable and only ends with the death of one member of the partnership.

Usually the dog goes first as we have such short lives, but sometimes we have to put up with the terrible loss and inconsolable grief of losing our  sole protector and companion when he is killed in action. Then we usually pine away as our lives seem to lose purpose and direction, we slowly kill ourselves as the grief eats at our hearts, until we are at last reunited in the big K9 Corps* in the sky. God! I can get maudlin and emotional at times but it is true we live for one another, I have heard of policemen who give up their lives trying to save us and then when they cant we are given the full heroes ceremony and treated in death like one of their own

That night to my amazement Stephen brought his pillow and quilt from upstairs and slept in the living room so he could keep an eye on me, during the night when I awoke, I thought that  he was asleep,  I caught his gaze holding mine and saw the same tender love I felt for him reflected in his eyes, I thumped my tail and fell asleep.

When I awoke in the morning I got up and stretched yelping at the pain in my shoulder, I limped into the kitchen where Stephen was preparing breakfast, bacon and eggs by the smell of it. He turned around and noticing me standing in the entrance, he tossed a rasher of bacon in my direction, I snaffled it at once, such treats can't be sniffed at, well maybe I sniffed at it once. He placed some dog kibble into a bowl and I was surprised to see him putting some raw mince into it and mixing it up, never had I been so spoilt, he broke the customary raw egg over my dinner, which helps to keep my coat so shiny. He placed the bowl down in front of me and I ate with gusto never had a meal tasted so delicious I did not even notice the antibiotic he had ground into it.

Two weeks have gone by since my injury and I can start to feel my strength returning, my wounds itch like mad and I keep trying to scratch at them but Stephen keeps mentioning the dreaded word , No! every time I get near them. At  times when  the itch gets unbearable he gently rubs some funny smelling ointment on my wounds which takes away the itch and the sting.

I noticed that stephen was beginning to get bored, to much inactivity was getting to him, he rang the station and asked if it would be possible to return to work, his boss agreed and even let me come into the office where he worked. Stephen put his regulation trench coat on the floor at the side of his desk and let me lie on it. I curled up and pretended to be asleep keeping an eye on people as they passed by.
I soon found out that apart from the veteran Scimitar I was the only police dog allowed in the office.
He came over to me and said
"Sabre, it was absolutely terrible what Steele did to you and it  should never have happened, if Schnapps or myself were present on that day it would never have happened and he deliberately disobeyed my orders. But you don't have to worry Steele has been reprimanded and he has lost his high rank among the police dogs he won't assault another dog again and you will find that you now rank higher than him and he wouldn't dare attack a superior  for fear of being kicked off the force." he paused and the carried on.

"I hope you recover quickly and I would like for you to accompany me on search sometime, you have shown great promise for one so young and I could teach you a great deal. Only those who have what it takes, get to work with me " He said

"Thank you sir, it would be a great honour to serve along side you. I will always obey your orders and treat you with respect." I replied

Scimitar  surprised me in his reply, he said,
"It is all very good that you would follow my orders and for that I hold you in good stead. But if an order I gave you turned out to put the whole team in danger and you had a way to get us out of a sticky situation I would rather you spoke up. I may be the alpha round here but I always listen to my pack and if they have an idea better than mine, I will take it on board"

Scimitar went back to where his partner was working on the computer and settled down to sleep, I noticed that before he closed his eyes, he gave me that same look and he laughed. Then I had no idea why he would look at me that way, but I do now........
     I could not believe my luck I had made a powerful ally in Scimitar and knew that I would not have any trouble with the other dogs again.

Another week went by and my injuries had healed, Stephen took me to the vet where she took the top layer of stitches out of my shoulder and leg, the second layers securing the muscle were disolvable ones, which would just disintegrate.

I found out that by now the staff liked me in the office and  I had became a favourite among the non handlers, who  seemed to bond with Scimitar and I, some of them even brought dog biscuits, but good times have to come to an end and with my recovery well underway it was time to return to the kennels.

The police station had kennel space for up to 30 dogs, 15 runs on either side and at present it housed 24 dogs, most of the dogs were what is known as general purpose dogs, the ones who found missing persons and  patrolled the streets and took a bite out of crime, (did I really just say that, a terrible pun what was I thinking of!) We had five specialist dogs. Dogs used to sniff out drugs, guns and find explosives. There are two different training methods for specialist dogs Passive and Pro-active.                             
A passive specialist dog is a dog that detects drugs ,firearms, or explosives on a person and it will sit down and wag its tail  if it finds something. 
                                                                                   
A pro-active specialist dog is one who searches large areas, i.e airports, warehouses and fields for narcotics, firearms or anything else at a crime scene when he has found something he sits down like the passive dog and may bark to alert his handler.

At the top end of the kennel block, there were the most distinguished dogs and the elite squadron so to speak , such as Scimitar who you have already met. In the kennel on his his left was a venerable scarred doberman, who had been rescued from a life of brutal fights and beatings  when a year old by his partner.
Schnapps was his name he was tough but fair and he could quell any dispute among the other dogs just by looking at them. He had been working for four years and had aprehended nearly as many criminals as Scimitar, he had been slashed with a knife, beaten with a stick and kicked repeatedly whilst on duty, next to Scimitar there was no tougher dog.                                                                                                                        

The dog next to him was Blaze an english bull mastiff, who was a formidable foe for criminals to contend with. He had been on the force for three years and like the others had  intercepted and aprehended many criminals. Most suspects quailed just at the sight of him and when they ran, once he got hold of them, no one escaped his grip (the drool alone was probably enough to put them off, because as Blaze ran he slobbered and the stuff went everywhere.)

Then there was Ace and Jace brothers who had made the grade together, which is quite unusual, there happens to be another set of siblings with us, who I will introduce shortly. These two were black and gold german shepherds and among the sharpest of the pack, if evidence or a suspect was to be found they were the ones who would find it. These two dogs were just  2 years of age and already had tracked down 10 criminals.


The other two brothers were Razor and Taser who were identical twins, their sister was also on the force. Like their sister they both sported  coats which were as black as night, which helped them to blend in when chasing down criminals during the night
.
Razor was obviously named for his sharp inteligence and because his teeth are as sharp as Razors, he was usually assigned to work with his brother as they were inseperable, they made one hell of a team and crime did not stand a chance against them.     
                                                                                                                           
Taser was named after the device used to stun criminals from a distance by passing an electric current through them, It is rumoured that he was just as effective.                                 
Both dogs were as hard as iron, these two were unstoppable and criminals trembled in fear at the sight of them, next to Scimitar  they  were the two biggest german shepherds on the block. 
 
Our top male pro-active specialist dog was a liver and white Springer Spaniel called Jack, A.K.A jumping Jack, they aren't called  Springers for nothing! He was four years old and no dog had a nose as good as his (except for my beloved Sasha) if there were drugs to be found he was your man, I mean dog. He could sniff out the smallest trace of  narcotics in warehouses, fields and in buildings.      
                                                                                                                       
Then there was the girls, oh the girls! how they set your blood on fire and left you howling with desire.                                                                                                                                                
 Mischa was a belgian shepherd tervueren and a highly trained pro-active sniffer dog, she had been on the force for two and a half years and had found £200,000 pounds worth of illegal substances and managed to bust a drugs ring and capture their ringleader. She resembled a german shepherd but she had a narrower longer muzzle and her long coat was wolf grey, she was a dainty bitch and many males showed desire to woo her but she only had eyes for Scimitar and any other dog who tried to woo her would be looked upon with an icy gaze, which froze you to the very core.                                                                                                               

 Then there was Sasha an unusual import from Russia part Siberian husky and part Golden Jackal, the police had  had to have a special license to use her but when it came to detecting explosives and sniffing out crime she could not be beaten. Her coat was wolf grey and white, she had icy blue eyes and she had been on the force for two years, she barked with a Russian accent which set our hearts burning with desire.
     
Then there was Ebony a pure german shepherd, who as her name suggested was black, she was the sister of Razor and Taser.
Ebony, like the majority of us was a general purpose dog and three years of age. Ebony was a little bit vain probably because of her beautiful coat and the power she held over us males! She seemed to groom herself excessively and was obsessed at looking at her reflection in her waterbowl!                                                                                                                                               
That did not mean that she was not a good worker, Ebony and her partner had caught many criminals and had located people who had been missing and reunited them with their families.

Then from the elite we come to the worst dogs or the inexperienced, a dog named Yeti was the worst of these, he was educationally subnormal and he looked like a shaggy bedraggled mop. That did not mean that he was not a good worker he had an excellent nose and managed to find drugs like the best of them. The only problems with Yeti was that he was the clumsiest dog on the beat, if there was anything to bump into Yeti would find it. His other fault was the fact that you could not hold a conversation with him, you had to explain everything twice and talk slowly for him to grasp the idea. I suppose because he was so lovable the force decided to keep him on  as their mascot.

Then we come to the most devious, the ones who try to bully themselves to the top, you have already met one of them, Steele,  who's coat is wolf grey, let me tell you a bit about him he was a gift dog, which is a dog a family could no longer cope with, this was usually down to destructive tendencies, a new family member entering the household and the fact that a dog could be too boisterous, with Steele it was all of the above, not an ideal pet but a good working dog. 
 His good points were few but at aprehending criminals he was the best, once he gets a suspect in his jaws he could never escape. (I found that out the hard way.)  He liked to tease and could sometimes be quite malicious, his favourite sport was picking on the rookies and making them feel inadequate and useless, perhaps trying to make them fail, so that he would feel better.

The other trouble makers who all looked up to Steele as their leader were Pike, Shifty, Snooper, Trouble, Asbo and Sniper. These dogs copied everything Steele said and did, they seemed not to have their own personality, so to cut things short, they were exactly the same as Steele, except they were from a litter of puppies specifically police bred. All these dogs  were never happy unless causing disquiet separated by a dog who could keep the peace.

There were four rookies, Blitz who like Scimitar was a sable german shepherd, he had already sunk his teeth into several criminals. Iko who was named after the song Iko Iko, his handler was very much a fan of the K9 movies which was what inspired him to become a handler himself. Iko had caught men who had stolen a car and then decamped (abandoned the car and decided to run for it after a police chase.)
Trooper was a belgian shepherd Malinois who is reportedly more trainable than us german shepherds, they are also meant to have a lot more drive, but I cannot believe that, I have plenty of drive and I have never tired of hunting down a criminal yet.  Then of course there is myself a very handsome german shepherd.