LPD DOG FROM PAGE 02
my fourth kid.
"I think he obeys me better than my own kids do, so that's a good thing," he laughed.
The dogs were selected for the LPD by a company in San Antonio, said Capt. Anthony Brixius, supervisor for the PSD program. The dogs were tested and rated on their drive, listening ability, interaction with other people and dogs and their tolerance for loud and distracting situations. The dogs' future jobs were determined by their test results.
as well as a special air conditioning system to keep him cool during the summer heat.
Because the other PSD unit graduated earlier and has been in service longer, the other pair has seen slightly more action than Weidl and CB, Brixius said.
Officer Matt Weidl stands with his Patrol Service Dog, CB. CB, a German Shepherd-Malinois mix, has been with the LPD since July 1.
A typical day for Weidl and CB involves patrolling in Weidl's squad car — emblazoned with "Caution K-9" — and performing article and vehicle sniffs for illegal substances. CB spends his time behind a partition in Weidl's car, with enough room to move around and lie down,
al not a house pet.
"I don't have much interaction with it when I'm off duty," Weidl said. "His off duty is kind of like us: if you've worked all week and you have the weekends off, I just let him do his thing — let him relax and decompress in a sense."
"We've been on the verge of a child we thought was missing for a while, and right as we called [the PSD unit] over, we were able to find the child," Brixius said. "It's more of a 'when you need it, it's so important that you have it.' We learned that in other cases leading up to this, whether it was a canine from another agency finding a gun tossed after a robbery [...] or tracking people who committed violent crimes."
Barring some extreme circumstance, Weidl will work with CB until the day the dog is retired. PSDs can usually work between 8 and 12 years on the job, and with the two spending so much time together, Weidl said they have already started to form a working relationship.
AARON GROENE/KANSAN
When the pair is off-duty, CB lives with Weidl and his family. Although Weidl has socialized the dog to his family, CB still remains a profession-
"We understand each other," he said. "We tolerate each other, to the point where they talk a lot about the alpha role between the handler and the dog. The dog understands that I'm at that alpha role. He's got to do what I tell him to do.
"I think it's a good bond," he continued. "I can open up the slider on my vehicle, and he'll come up and he'll sniff me and he'll lick me. [When I talk to him] it's not always abrupt, it's not always a command. I still talk to him like he's my kid and
joke around with him in different voices and different tones. I don't know, I can't ask the dog what he thinks, but I think we have a good bond."
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