Famous Police Dogs

Whether it’s detecting explosives, chasing down a fleeing criminal, or assisting in a drug bust, K9 officers offer superhero powers to police forces across the nation. In today’s episode of Talkin’ Dogs, we talk about some of the most famous and heroic K9 officers.

1. Rin Tin Tin

Nicknamed Rinty, this famous German shepherd, was brought to the US after being found in an abandoned kennel in France. Rinty was given to a K9 breeder who trained him to do police work. His impressive backstory doesn’t stop there, though! Rin Tin Tin was later entered into dog shows where he got Hollywood’s attention. He starred in 27 films, and rumor has it he even had the most votes for Best Actor in the first ever Academy Awards in 1929.

2. Apollo

Apollo earned recognition after he and his handler, Peter Davis, worked at the World Trade Center after the 09/11 attacks. He was a member of the NYPD and was one of the first dogs to learn search and rescue. He nearly lost his life to the falling debris but managed to fall into a pool of water and continue working. Apollo was awarded the Dickin Medal, the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross, on behalf of search and rescue dogs who worked the 09/11 attacks.

3. Mattie

Mattie was a member of the Connecticut State Police. She was the first operational accelerant detection dog. So basically what that means is she was able to identify various chemical accelerants, such as tiny drops of gasoline. She sniffed through ruins of fires to identify these accelerants. Mattie is a shining example of what K9s can do and even trained two more dogs, Rosie and Dolph, in this unique field.

4. Koton

Best known for his role as Jerry Lee in the 1989 movie K-9, Koton had a career before his big-screen life. He worked for the Kansas City Police Department as a K9 officer. During his career as a K9 officer, he was responsible for over 24 felony arrests. His biggest bust was when he found 10 kilograms of cocaine, which was estimated to be worth around $1.2 million. Sadly, Koton was shot in the line of duty while attempting to apprehend a suspect.

5. Strongheart

We have another movie star on our list. Strongheart was a police dog/film star. He was originally from Poland and named Etzel von Oeringen (that’s a mouth full). He spent a lot of his career working with the German Red Cross. When he was brought to the US, he was one of the earliest canine film stars. Though he did not star in as many films as Rin Tin Tin, he worked with some notable names of the time, such as silent movie director Laurence Trimble. He was even given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Outro: Have you heard of these famous police dogs? Know anymore? Let us know in the comments! Remember to like, comment, share, and subscribe. Thanks for watching!