The most recent incident involving a police dog in McKees Rocks merely scratches the surface of what local police officers, dog trainers and handlers describe as mounting problems in K-9 law enforcement. Rudy Harkins, Pittsburgh police officer and K-9 instructor, said Pennsylvania lacks state-established standards and certification procedures for police dog work.
"In reality, someone could go to the animal shelter, get a dog, take it for a few weeks of training virtually anywhere, and put it on the street," he said.
Harkins said officers are required to be properly trained and certified with their guns, nightsticks and pepper spray, yet no similar requirements exist for K-9s.
"The liability is the same for dogs as it is with other weapons," said Charlie Mesloh, assistant professor at Florida Gulf Coast University and former K-9 handler. "The officer must be qualified to handle the weapon and must act in a responsible manner."
Moreover, there are other problems across the country with monitoring K-9 training, usage and performance.
"We're not even 100 percent sure how many police dogs are out there," Mesloh said. "If you need a bomb dog, most of the time, you don't even know who to call."
Mesloh, who said he is a proponent of K-9s, is currently working to establish a national K-9 database for officers.
"If they are used properly, these dogs can be a tremendous asset," he said. "They give officers another important tool in the arsenal of less-lethal force."
But experts add that poor training, combined with a lack of monitoring and financial support, can lead to troubling situations. Last month, a second black child in McKees Rocks was bitten by a German shepherd police dog named Dolpho. The dog was visiting a school when the latest incident occurred.
K-9s are an expensive investment. Departments pay $3,500 to $4,500 for a dog, and training can cost anywhere between $4,000 and $10,000. Officers may be off the street in K-9 school for up to three months, and require numerous follow-up courses to keep their dogs in top shape.
"It's easy to see why some departments might go with cheaper dogs and training from less reputable agencies, but that can lead to problems down the road," Harkins said.
The Pittsburgh police department has used K-9s since 1958, and over the years, developed its own standards based on those in other states and national organizations.
Pittsburgh requires potential handlers to have a minimum of four years experience as a police officer, a two-day evaluation that includes donning a bite suit, extended interviews with family members, and three months of intense training.
Cpl. Ken Munshower, head of the Pennsylvania State Police K-9 bomb sniffing unit, said his agency puts candidates through 12 weeks of training, part of which includes troopers jogging up a steep hill carrying their dog.
"There has to be trust between both of them," Munshower said. "If that dog is going to bite people, he'll probably want to take a bite out of somebody when we do that."
Harkins said he thinks it's time for police agencies throughout Allegheny County to get together and start discussing the issues surrounding police dogs.
"A few years ago, we did a survey, and almost every department (about 91 agencies) had a K-9," he said. "We all need to be working together to develop professional standards regarding the training and usage of these dogs."
Terry Fleck, a canine legality and training expert in California, estimates there are about 15,000 dogs in the United States working in law enforcement and the military.
Dogs are used for drug and bomb sniffing, patrol and apprehension, search, rescue recovery, and tracking. Police often select German shepherds because of their long history in military and police work, intelligence, trainability and loyalty.
Police look for dogs with a strong natural drive to chase prey. Most police dogs are imported from Europe, where they are bred for temperament and behavior. In the United States, dogs are bred primarily for looks and show potential.
All trainers agree that handlers are the most important part of the K-9 equation.
"These dogs do not operate independently," Fleck said. "They are not capable of making decisions on their own."
Fleck, who has conducted some 4,000 police dog demonstrations over the past 20 years, said he disagrees with the notion that K-9s are unsafe and should not be taken into schools.
"As a general rule, police dogs are very stable and social," he said. "They are one of the most effective public relations tool we have."
Yet trainers admit every dog is different.
"You can take the world's best-trained dog, and if somebody accidentally pokes it in the eye or steps on its tail, the dog is going to react," Fleck said.
Some dogs may become nervous if they are touched a lot, and a few trainers suggested that may have been the case when children were petting Dolpho at Sto-Rox Middle School.
McKees Rocks Borough Solicitor John Bacharach did not return a telephone message seeking comment about the incident.
"It could be that the dog reached an arousal level where it just couldn't handle it anymore, and simply wanted to be left alone," said Judith Levy, a Pittsburgh canine behavior consultant.
Some trainers told about the McKees Rocks incident questioned why, when a child had previously been bitten, the dog was taken into a school.
"If you know your dog doesn't like other dogs, then you probably shouldn't take it to a dog park," said Marcy Niedbala, owner of A Plus Dog Training in Crafton.
Trainers said without having specific details, it's hard to know exactly what went wrong. Still, they were outraged by calls for Dolpho's disposal.
"I would say that 90 to 95 percent of the problem is not directly related to the dog," Harkins said. "If we had a similar issue in our department, we would look closely at all aspects of the K-9 team to determine what the problem might be."
Harkins said working dogs of any kind should not be placed in a "petting zoo" atmosphere. Rather, police dogs should be used in large areas such as gymnasiums where the audience can be placed on bleachers safely away from the direct action.
"These dogs have specific tasks to do, and sometimes they aren't friendly tasks," he said. "It becomes very confusing for the dog to be bounced back and forth like that."
Munshower said while he is comfortable taking his dog out to community events, he still understands how dangerous it can be.
"They're like 90-pound walking razor blades," he said.
Reporter Ellen James contributed to this report.
Alyson Walls can be reached at awalls@tribweb.com or (412) 320-5638.
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