Security guards with tails keep CIIE safe

Police dogs, helpful in sniffing out danger, are an integral part of the work of the police. They're also a part of the security force safeguarding the China International Import Expo (CIIE), a large-scale exhibition that draws up to hundreds of thousands of visitors over a six-day period.

The 3-year-old Pointer Douding and 7-year-old Springer Xiaolong are two of the police dogs that are serving at the CIIE this year.

The two boys have been patrolling with police officers in Metro stations around the venue of CIIE, the National Exhibition and Convention Center, since November 5, and prior to that they were put on the task of clearing the venue of explosives.

At the Metro stations, they help with random checks of bags and suitcases of passengers and stand by for any emergencies.

Douding's trainer is Liu Zhoujie, and Xiaolong's is Chen Guanyu. The two police officers, who are a married couple, both graduated from the Criminal Investigation Police University of China in 2009.

"I go on my post with Xiaolong every morning at 7am with another colleague, and together we work until 8pm," Chen said.

The police dogs have their meals once a day after returning to their bases after work where they rest overnight. Chen said the dogs can have snacks during the day as well as water.

"The mission for the CIIE is demanding because of the long working hours, and this is a great challenge to the physical preparedness of both police officers and police dogs," Chen said.

The dogs put on the mission, he said, were given careful training and went through a selection process to ensure that the most capable and the best physically prepared dogs work the event.

The dogs are usually fed with snacks in the late afternoon when they're most likely to feel fatigued from work.

"As trainers, we comfort them and also encourage them to go on with their work," Chen said.

While Springers are not rare among police dogs, the Pointer is relatively new in their rank in China, but this breed proves to be very much up to the job, according to Liu.

"My Douding is astute, curious and friendly with people, but he's also very professional when working and loyal to me," said Liu, who has been training him since when he was only three months old.

Douding and Xiaolong work alongside about 40 police dogs in Metro stations, keeping people safe at the CIIE.

Also, about 30 dogs have been working with police in Qingpu District and security staff at vehicle entrances to the CIIE venue since October 24.

The dogs have sniffed out paint, banana oil and other objects that are not allowed to be brought into the venue. To ensure the health of the dogs, they rest every hour, police said.