Police dog missing after theft
2006-09-18 09:53
Pretoria - Tshwane metro police's only patrol dog was still missing after he and another dog
were stolen along with a metro police vehicle at the weekend.
Jade, a drug sniffer, was found about 10 hours after she was stolen along
with the Toyota Venture in Orchards, Pretoria West.
She got into a motorist's car who had stopped at a shopping centre.
He took her to Soshanguve police station.
"I don't know who cried loudest, me or the dog," said sergeant Chris
Ogilvie, Jade's handler.
Jade was still a bit traumatised on Sunday, but after a couple of bones and
playing ball with her handler, she appeared fine.
Benji, the patrol dog that was with her in the Venture, was still missing on
Sunday.
Inspector Stephen de Vos, Benji's handler, said he and Ogilvie investigated
a charge of attempted burglary on Friday night.
They left the unmarked Venture, with the two dogs inside, outside the house
and patrolled the yard along with the owner of the house.
"It took about eight minutes. When we got back outside, the Venture and the
dogs were missing. I ran up the street in the hope of seeing the Venture
around the corner, since it had trouble with the starter, but to no avail,"
said De Vos.
They immediately called metro police and the police's control room to warn
them to be on the look-out.
De Vos and Benji have been working together for two years. "He is an
amazing patrol dog and can't stand anybody near him, except myself," said De
Vos.
He believed that Benji was still alive.
"I hope somebody sees him and lets the police or metro police know.
"If I don't see him again, I just hope he finds a good home," said De Vos.
Benji is a strongly-built German Shepherd with a pitch black back and thick
bushy tail. He can also be identified by his shiny collar.