VRYHEID KZN: Tracker dog soon to start ‘working’ in local K9 Unit

A WhatsApp voice note is doing the rounds that the local K9 Unit doesn’t have dogs when they are called out to a scene. The Vryheid Herald contacted Captain Gary Stride, commander of the unit, to get his input regarding the allegations. He explained that he is aware of the voice note, but that the situation is not as simple as the public may think. The unit has a tracker dog, that has been newly acquired, but the animal does not have its ‘working’ documents as yet, since he needs to be tested first. A recent scene they were called out to required a tracking dog, since each dog specialises in a specific discipline. Captain Stride says he sent out two of his dog handlers without their dogs, since they are fully trained in basic visual tracking. When the officers arrived on scene, they couldn’t find the tracks due to cattle and other activities.

Captain Stride admits that they also struggle with a shortage of vehicles and they only have five dogs at the moment, compared to the 13 they previously had. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy for the unit to get dogs, since they make use of specific breeds like German Shepherds (Alsatians), Rottweilers, Belgium Shepherds, Labradors and Bloodhounds. These animals are trained from the age of two years old after an assessment to determine whether they have the required characteristics to be a trained canine ‘officer’. The dogs are trained at a training school before they are sent out to the different units. Each dog has its own handler. They do sometimes receive dogs as donations, but that is very rare and it’s very difficult to find the correct breed of dog for the ‘academy’.

The Vryheid K9 Unit covers seven police stations, which include Hlobane, Glückstadt, eMondlo, Vryheid, Louwsburg and Ngome. But the search & rescue dog covers most areas in KwaZulu-Natal, since it is very specialised in its field. Captain Stride proudly explained that to experience and see the search & rescue dog at work is ‘magical’. “Actually, dogs are just magical,” he concluded.

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