TRACKING CRIMINALS.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13713, 21 April 1910, Page 4

TRACKING CRIMINALS.

THE USE OF TRAINED DOGS

AN OTAKI MAN'S SUGGESTION

(SPECIAL TO "THE PBESB.") WELLINGTON, April 19. »Some of the incidents in the hunt for Poweika drew suggestions from many quarters as to the use of dogs in tracking criminals and other "wantod" persons. It was, says the "Post, ,, distinctly affirmed that if suitably-trained dogs had been put on the scent while it was fresh, Poweika would not have been so long at large as he was—they would soon have tracked him down to his lair. Some confirmation of argument was given to a '"Post" reporter by tests of trained doys witnessed yesterday. The- dogs belonged to Mr A. J. Knocks, an old resident of Otaki, who made a hobby of training the animals. They were two — Watch and Wag. father and son. Watch is a pure-bred Russian collie, somewhat like a retriever in his build and black curly hair, but different in the shape of the head and the shaggy locks about his muzzle. Wag, whoso mother is a Scotch collie, is utterly unlike his father, in colour a sort of pinky grey, and-in hair very long and shaggy all over. The special capacity of these animals for tracking was discovered by Mr Knocks some timo ago, when Mrs Knocks was in hospital at Otaki. The dog Watch disappeared one morning and returned shortly afterwards, bearing in his mouth a handkerchief which Mr Knocks recognised as belonging to his wife. To make sure he sent the dog away with a noto to the hospital asking his wife to say if the dog had called. The hospital is more than a mile away from the homestead, but within twelve minutes the dog was back with n note from Mrs Knocks to say it was quite true; ho had called, and would not go away without some token. Froic that time forward Mr Knocks began to train Watch. He sent him tip regularly to the hospital with flowers, getting a note back in return. Then ho taught tho dog to lead his horse back home from tho township to Otaki, to pick up parcels and bring them to his master, and generally to use almost a human intelligence. Examples of this thi! "Post" , representative saw yesterday. Ho saw the dog sent after a boy. fetch him back ns readily as possible, holding on by his coat sleeve; he saw the dog retrieve a leather saddlo bag laid hy his master on the opposite side of tho Basin Reserve under a fence when the dog's head iras kept turned tho opposite way all the time, so that he should not see which way his masfer went, and this was in a place where the scent was very liable to be broken by a number of small boys crossing and recrossing tho line. Again, both dogs would retrieve eggs without breaking them—a really clever feat —picking them up in their mouths and hringing them a considerable distance. Mr Knocks says that tho dog Watch often on the farm at Otaki will go out and fetch in cgc;s laid out in the bush. Hβ has never known a breakage to occur. Another gift they have is to tap at the door with their tails. Their intelligence is unmistakable here, as they will continue knocking till the door is opened. i*s to actual tracking, Mr Knocks cays that if, for instance, Poweika or any other escaped prisoner wore assumed to be in a certain place, the dogs would bo loosed near that place. They would follow the freshest scent, and in tho open country round a place like Palmerston, they would quickly run the man down. Once they cornered a man they would never leave him. Mr Knocks considers that every police station should be equipped with at least a couple of dogs so trained. .

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