5 Things You Didn't Know About Police Dogs

It's national First Aid Week, and to commemorate America's four-legged first responders, we present: 5 Things You Didn't Know About Police Dogs, from our popular book: Police Dog Heroes by Linda Bozzo.

1.  The first police dog training school was established in Ghent, Belgium in 1899.
2.  Originally, the main job of police dogs was protecting police officers on patrol; other jobs, like tracking, only became common later.
3.  German shepherds are the most popular dog breed for police patrol work.
4.  In the United States, one of the first cities to use modern police dogs was South Orange, NJ.
5.  Police officers in K-9 units often have a special remote control to open the rear door of their patrol car: this allows them to let their police dog out to help even if they're away from the patrol car.

If you want to know more about police dogs, make sure to check out Police Dog Heroes from the "Amazing Working Dogs With the American Humane Society" series.