Police Dog (PD) Uzi has taken some big steps since he was first stationed with Bundaberg Police as an eight-week-old pup.
After 20 months of hard work, dedicated pup Uzi was one of 43 to graduate on Wednesday and be inducted into the Queensland Police Service.
As a member of U Litter, the German shepherd spent his first year alongside Bundaberg's Senior Constable Luke Giese as they embarked on a training course to ultimately land him the role of General Purpose Police Dog.
Even from the beginning Senior Constable Giese said he had big plans for Uzi, and now those dreams have come true as he settles into his role as PD in Townsville.
PD Uzi spent about 12 months in the Bundaberg Region in his mentorship, where he learnt the skills that have helped him become one of Queensland Police’s top dogs.
In July, after only two weeks of official police business, Uzi had already shown his worth as he successfully completed his first operation as he tracked down two men following a break and enter in Townsville.
Uzi completed a 14-week course involving tracking, obedience and building searches and is among the best of the new four-legged police recruits.
Uzi now lives with his new handler Senior Constable David Forrest of Townsville Dog Squad, and he believes PD Uzi is the top dog for the job.
“PD Uzi is very relaxed when not working and is known to nap in the back of police cars, but when the job’s on he is very focused and driven,” he said.
“In particular, PD Uzi shows great drive and interest in tracking, and really enjoys the reward he gets after a successful track.”
PD Uzi and Senior Constable Forrest completed the 14-week Dog Squad course together, addressing a number of different core dog squad capabilities including tracking, building searching, obedience and suspect apprehension.
“PD Uzi has been stationed in Townsville since the start of July, and has been working operationally since then,” he said.
“We are both progressing really well up here as a team and look forward to a long successful career together.”
