Paws on patrol as new police dog teams graduate

Brevet Sergeant Chantelle Ryder and Police Dog (PD) Hank, alongside Brevet Sergeant Tina Hunt and PD Hector, recently graduated following the successful completion of the intensive training course.

PD Hank and PD Hector have been part of the Puppy Development Programme since they began at eight weeks old in November 2024.

_{Hank and Hector during their early months in the Puppy Development Programme}

While the pair came from the same litter and completed their training together, each has developed their own personality while demonstrating the qualities required of an operational police dog.

Over three-months, the handler and police dog pairs completed a structured training program comprising several phases and competency assessments.

The course develops core operational capabilities including tracking and detecting human scent, locating offenders, searching buildings and open areas, finding missing people, and supporting officers during high‑risk incidents.

Manager of the Dog Operations Unit, Senior Sergeant Ryan Johnson, said every graduation represented months of dedication and training by both handlers, instructors and of course, their canine friends.

“Every dog graduation here at the Dog Operations Unit is significant. It’s the result of a mountain of time and effort through meticulously planned and executed training by our dedicated handlers and trainers,” Senior Sergeant Johnson said.

“This enables us to continue to provide the best possible service to the community by having the highest quality dog teams out on patrol 24/7.”

Brevet Sergeant Ryder and Brevet Sergeant Hunt said graduating with their dogs was a gratifying experience.

“From the day Hank and Hector joined the Puppy Development Programme as puppies, we’ve watched them grow into confident, capable police dogs.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to reach this milestone together, and we’re looking forward to supporting frontline policing across South Australia,” said Brevet Sergeant Ryder.

Hank and Hector will now join SAPOL’s operational contingent of general-purpose police dogs, who provide coverage across metropolitan Adelaide while maintaining the capability to respond anywhere in South Australia.

This financial year, SAPOL’s operational general purpose police dogs have been deployed 1,227 times, locating 296 people during more than 1,000 hours of searching and tracking.

You can access footage of PD Hank and Hector here: