Currently, the breed of Police Service Dogs being used is German Shepards. In the past we have used other breeds including Bouvier Des Flanders, Rotweilers and Belgian Malinois. Police Service Dogs are imported from European countries such as Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech. Republic and Hungary. Europe has extensive history in developing police canines, which started in Germany in 1899. Breeders have strict guidelines in breeding to ensure the necessary traits of Police Service Dogs.
The department's trainer will put potential Police Service Dogs through a variety of tests to determine if the dog meets the needs of the department and is compatible with the handler. An important aspect of this testing is that the dog be adaptable to the handler's home environment. The canine lives at home with the handler and becomes a member of the family during his off-duty time.
Police Service Dogs are very expensive as is the training and upkeep. for that reason many police departments accept financial donations from individuals, companies and/or organizations to offset some of the costs. The Orange Police Department has been extremely fortunate over the years to have such generous community members, such as the Woman's Club of Orange, Orange Elks Lodge #1475, and Mr. Don Flora, owner of Alliance Mechanical.
