Gardaí have recruited a new squad to replenish the ranks of the force’s Dog Unit following the retirement of veteran member Laser.
Laser spent more than a decade with the Garda Dog Unit in Cork and is now set to enjoy a well-earned retirement with his handler Garda Pat Harrington, along with Gda Harrington’s other Garda dog, Rex.
Now three new members of the paw patrol, including the first Dutch shepherd to join the Dog Unit – named Rip – will be trained for a year and a half.
Long arm of the paw: Rip, the Garda’s first Dutch shepherd
Thor, a male German shepherd, and Ógie, a female German shepherd are the other new furry recruits.
“All three have been with their Garda handler since they were 8 weeks old and as they grow, their programme of training is carefully adapted. At present they’re being taught obedience while they become familiarised with the likely sights and experiences that they will encounter,” the force said on social media.
“It is hoped that when their training is successfully completed in about a year and a half, they will search for missing people, identify suspects, search for concealed evidence, conduct crime prevention patrols and help Gardaí apprehend criminals.”
The good boys in blue: One of the Garda’s German shepherd recruits
The force added: “We first established our Garda Dog Unit over 63 years ago, and in that time it has become an integral part of policing in Ireland.
“Dogs can do what no human or technology can, by virtue of their powerful sense of smell.”
Many social media users took to express their well wishes for the new trainees.
“Dutch Shepherd is lively and has huge drive, he’ll be keen to learn. Good luck to all handlers,” one user said.
Another said: “Gorgeous! RIP to literally anyone who has the misfortune of meeting RIP.”
“Very cuddly looking though!,” another comment said, to which the gardaí joked: “Not for long.”
Collared: One of the Garda’s new German shepherds
Laser joined the Gardaí in late 2011 at just five months old and after a year and a half of training, he became a major detective.
Apart from chasing criminals, the general-purpose garda dog has visited many schools with his handler, to teach children about his work.
A few of his successes included sniffing out drugs, finding burglars, and recovering stolen goods.
In 2019, when he detected cannabis worth €900,000 in a grow house in Clare, he also found a woman hiding in the attic.