Russian Police to Train Welsh Corgis as Service Dogs.
Moscow may soon have the world's most adorable police force.The department's canine unit is planning to train Welsh corgis to assist in their police work, according to Newsweek's translation of Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. Specifically, officials are hoping that the short-legged dogs can help them sniff out bombs and other contraband.
Right now, the force is training two puppies, one two months and the other 6 months old. "It is not certain that they will be able to join the ranks of service dogs, but even if they don't the experiment will be interesting for everyone," Elena Haikova, head of the canine unit, told RIA Novosti. Whether we are going to see more corgis in uniform on Moscow's streets will be decided next year, following the first two pups going through a series of tests.
But according to American Kennel Club spokeswoman Brandi Hunter, there's reason to believe those corgis will be star pupils, "Corgis have great noses," Hunter said. "They're very smart, they're easy to train... they can get into smaller spaces." Because of those qualities, she said, "they'd probably make excellent search dogs."
Brandi Hunter also pointed out that corgis are already frequently employed as service dogs, especially as therapy dogs or to help people who are deaf or hearing-impaired.
It is not clear which corgi breed Moscow police are training, though the photo accompanying the RIA Novosti article shows a Pembroke Welsh corgi.
13.04.2016 A
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