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Photograph by Jacquelyn Ramseyer
Sunnyvale Public Safety officer Robert Sorci sits with his partner, Teddy, a 16-month-old German shepherd. Teddy is currently being trained to sniff out bombs.
Nosing Around
Public Safety's new bomb-sniffing dog will be a boon to the city
By Jana Seshadri
The country's intense focus on homeland security is causing cities to beef up their public safety departments and Sunnyvale has sought the help of a four-legged friend to do it. Last month the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety acquired "Teddy," a German shepherd dog from Czechoslovakia, currently being trained as a bomb-sniffing dog.
According to Capt. Byron Pipkin, Teddy's month-long training has just been completed.
"Public Safety already has two protection dogs and Teddy will be the third in our canine unit," Pipkin said.
Last month the Sunnyvale City Council, upon Public Safety Chief Irwin Bakin's request, voted unanimously to authorize asset forfeiture funds for acquiring an explosive-sniffing dog for the department.
Bakin recounted at the meeting that even before the Sept. 11 attacks, the department used to handle about 40 bomb threats in the city during the year. Since Sept. 11 and during the anthrax scare, calls of suspicious packages and boxes peaked at 17 a day, he said.
According to Pipkin, protection dogs are trained to go out on patrol, assist in finding missing persons and handle nighttime duty. Teddy's training will continue even while he is out on duty, and reevaluation after a year will determine whether he will be considered for protection training as well, Pipkin said.
"The dogs are purchased from private owners in countries like Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, etc., because of their pure breeding and bloodlines," said Robert Sorci, Teddy's handler and a Sunnyvale Public Safety officer for 19 years.
Teddy's "Schutzen" tri-level training involves obedience, tracking and protection, Sorci said.
Susan Hatcher-Yaffe of Whitmer-Tyson Imports said she has trained hundreds of dogs in her 16 years as a trainer. With their kennel in Menlo Park and training field in Newark, their clients come from all over the Bay Area, she said.
"We train dogs for 62 protection agencies, including police departments, and we've trained hundreds of dogs," Hatcher-Yaffe said. "As a bomb-sniffing dog, Teddy is trained to sniff and detect nine to 12 odors and other explosive devices."
Nitrate, a base for a lot of different explosives, is the first chemical ingredient, that bomb dogs are trained to sniff out, she said. And 16-month-old Teddy is trained with food as a reward.
"The dogs can trace and detect residue--very tiny amounts of these chemicals," Hatcher-Yaffe said.
The dogs showcased their detecting skills at the Sunnyvale City Hall chambers during a demonstration on Feb. 7. Ingredients used in explosives were hidden in several places inside the chambers and the dogs' sniffing skills were put to the test, one at a time. Teddy was right on the mark, according to Sorci. Dogs are trained to simply sit quietly as soon as they sniff something suspicious and that's exactly what Teddy did.
Protection and bomb-sniffing dogs are generally males because they tend to be territorial and that works well, said officer Steven Shaw, a 19-year veteran of the Menlo Park Police Department. Shaw's dog "Cain" is another 5-year-old German shepherd, who came to the United States from a town southeast of Dusseldorf, Germany.
Part of a collaborative effort, the Sunnyvale Public Safety canine unit works closely with other public safety departments in the region, Bakin said.
"The police departments help each other out depending on the availability of the dogs," Bakin said.
As part of his continued training in the department, Teddy will assist the Federal Aviation Authority's security detail in San Francisco International Airport several times a week over the next few months, Bakin said.
Like Teddy, "Sinbad" is Santa Clara County Sheriff Department's first bomb-sniffing dog. However, while Teddy is a German shepherd, 2-year-old Sinbad is a black Labrador retriever. Police and safety departments use Labrador retrievers because of their hunting and retrieving instincts, said Craig Sontra, a 17-year veteran and deputy sheriff of the department, as well as Sinbad's handler. According to Sontra, Sinbad was born in Canada and initially trained in Nevada.
Hatcher-Yaffe said the demand for dog training has "increased dramatically" since Sept. 11. Remaining in active duty until they reach a maximum age of 10, dogs are trained to take commands only from their handlers and await opportunities to demonstrate their newly acquired skills, said officer Andrew Armando of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.
"He loves to show off," Armando said about 3-year-old "Ando," a bomb-sniffing German shepherd dog from Czechoslovakia.
Besides going out on patrol in cities, the police also seek the assistance of protection and bomb-sniffing dogs like "Gorbi" in state parks. Gorbi became ranger Noah Martin's partner last May in San Simeon County and is trained in searching, tracking, protection, obedience and apprehension. Two-year-old Gorbi helps Martin protect the San Simeon coastline, campgrounds and Hearst Castle.
Working with mutual trust, dogs and their handlers patrol as "partners" and spend all their time together--off-duty and on.
"Teddy even comes home with me after work," Sorci said, which is the case with all the other protection and bomb-sniffing dogs. "He's part of the family."
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
