Momo the smallest Police Search and Rescue Dog
Meet Momo who became an official Police Dog in Japan after passing the Search and Rescue Exam in November 2010. The 7 year old 6.6lb Long Haired Chihuahua is the first of her kind to become an official SAR dog and takes her title very seriously. In order to pass the test she had to find a “missing” person in 5 minutes using just the scent from their baseball cap. 70 dogs applied for the exam of which only 32 successfully completed the task. Momo passed with flying colors her long hair flowing in the breeze as she tracked the scent of her “missing” person.
While Momo might seem better suited to be a model then a police dog her services are greatly desired by the force as they know she will be able to get into spaces the usual Momo will be used for rescue operations in case of disasters such as earthquakes, in the hope that she may be able to squeeze her tiny frame into places too narrow for more usual rescue dogs, which tend to be German Shepherds. After word spread that the newest recruit was a Chihuahua the Nara Police force fielded hundreds of calls asking about her and wishing her luck in your new career. Her initial contract will be one year long and after that time they will make a determination if she will have her contract renewed.
I know that after the Earthquake and Tsunami on March 11, 2011 that there was some talk of bringing her in to help search for survivors in the worst hit areas. However I have not be able to find any English language articles that say that they made the determination that it would be safe to bring her in considering there was so much debris everywhere and she is so tiny.
Chihuahua Becomes Japans Smallest Search Rescue… by NTDTV
