Jake will be retiring soon from the Christchurch Police but three of his children will be continuing to work in the same area he does in Christchurch and at least one other in Masterton. He has two brothers who also work for police.
Jake, aged 8, has been in the job for 6 years and was chosen for the police dog breeding program because he is 'an all round good Police dog' says handler Mick Moorhouse.
"He's a great dog, very easy to manage but not too nice," says Constable Moorhouse. "He is in semi retirement at the moment, he is still attached to the Christchurch Armed Offenders squad and will continue to be as long as he is able to meet the standards required for that type of work. Once he retires completely from Police work he will stay at home and hopefully enjoy his retirement".
Jake's three progeny in Christchurch are Wes, Winda (from the same litter) and Loki from a previous litter. Winnie works in Masterton. Wes, aged two, is Mick's replacement dog and he is already hard on his father's footsteps having just completed his first nightshift.
"He shows promise and potential and located 2 males who had run off from a vehicle crash on our third job we attended, and several nights later located a male who had been unlawfully on a property" says Constable Moorhouse.
Jake was a gift dog to police from someone who found him a 'bit big' and he needed more exercise. He is a pure bred german shepherd from Motueka. He has several brothers in the force around the country.
Police use German Shepherds because of their size, temperament and trainability. Half of the dogs Police train are gifted or bought from the public. The Dog Training Centre has it own breeding programme to provide the remaining dogs needed, which Jake has been part of.
Canterbury Dog Section are having a photo opportunity on Thursday because says Sergeant Tim Yates, 'we don't often get together.'
There are 13 operational dogs in the district plus two specialist dogs- a drug and a bomb dog. Two dogs and their handlers from Timaru will be joining the Christchurch based section for the occasion.
Photo opportunity - Canterbury Police Dog Section
Thursday 1pm- Canterbury Show grounds, off Curletts Road
Media welcome.