| Last updated February 15, 2007. |
K-9 Crime Fighters
Taz is a one-year-old (as of 2006) chow-shepherd mix
adopted from the Town Lake Animal Center, which is
the largest animal shelter in Central Texas.
Unfortunately, due to over-crowding and other
important issues, this shelter euthanizes animals that
have no other options and Taz was one of those
animals who was running out of time.
But fate intervened in the form of an Austin Police
detective in the Gang Suppression Unit who chose
Taz to be trained as a narcotics detection dog. Taz is
the first shelter dog chosen by the Austin Police
Department to be trained as an officer and only cost
the City of Austin $30 in adoption fees. Taz quickly
trained with narcotics officers in seven weeks and is
now a certified detection dog with APD.
adopted from the Town Lake Animal Center, which is
the largest animal shelter in Central Texas.
Unfortunately, due to over-crowding and other
important issues, this shelter euthanizes animals that
have no other options and Taz was one of those
animals who was running out of time.
But fate intervened in the form of an Austin Police
detective in the Gang Suppression Unit who chose
Taz to be trained as a narcotics detection dog. Taz is
the first shelter dog chosen by the Austin Police
Department to be trained as an officer and only cost
the City of Austin $30 in adoption fees. Taz quickly
trained with narcotics officers in seven weeks and is
now a certified detection dog with APD.
| Narcotics Detection Dog, Taz |
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| Taz |
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Taz is not trained for protection work. Instead, she uses her brain and nose to help officers in
the Organized Crime Unit to help sniff out drugs for narcotics and gang suppression officers.
Taz lives at home with her new partner and is paving the way for future shelter dogs to be
adopted and trained as Austin Police Department drug dogs.
the Organized Crime Unit to help sniff out drugs for narcotics and gang suppression officers.
Taz lives at home with her new partner and is paving the way for future shelter dogs to be
adopted and trained as Austin Police Department drug dogs.
The training information on this page is an example of
how narcotics detection dogs can be trained and is not
necessarily how Taz was trained.
how narcotics detection dogs can be trained and is not
necessarily how Taz was trained.