Young policewoman fulfils her passion as police dog trainer

Photo shows Gao Wei, a policewoman with the public security bureau of Yinchuan city, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and her police dog. (People’s Daily Online/Yan Mengjie)

“To me, they are reliable comrades, intimate family members, and adorable children,” said Gao Wei, a policewoman with the public security bureau of Yinchuan city, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. 

Gao joined the bureau’s police dog squad in January 2008. “Because of my love for dogs, I applied to work in the police dog squad on my first day of duty,” she said.

The police responsible for training police dogs should be in good psychological condition, and have strong powers of observation, perseverance and patience.

“As I chose the job, I will keep going no matter how hard it is,” Gao said, adding that she was determined to train outstanding police dogs.

Training for nearly ten hours is a daily routine for her. She seeks advice from veteran trainers to fine-tune the ways she gives commands and makes gestures, and repeats it again and again.

Photo shows Gao Wei, a policewoman with the public security bureau of Yinchuan city, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, training a police dog to seek out explosive devices or materials. (People’s Daily Online/Yan Mengjie)

After a day of training, she is always drenched in sweat, covered with dirt and has a sore throat, giving an indication of how demanding the job is.

However, her hard work has finally paid off. As a female police dog trainer, Gao has successfully completed several security inspection missions and searched for explosive devices or materials. Thanks to their outstanding performance, two police dogs under her instruction were awarded the accolade of “meritorious dogs”, the highest honor for police dogs.

“I have trained 17 police dogs so far, and am fully familiar with the characteristics of each and every one of them,” she said.

On top of exhausting training sessions and going out for tasks, the hardest part of this job, in Gao’s view, actually lies in saying goodbye to the dogs. When she talks about the departed dogs, she smiles and tears well up in her eyes, as she recounts fond memories with them.

“This is the best job for me. It fulfills my childhood dream and it’s what my passion comes from. Since I started this work, I have never thought about quitting. I will continue to be with my dogs, my dear friends,” she said. 

Photo shows Gao Wei, a policewoman with the public security bureau of Yinchuan city, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, doing a simple exercise with a retired police dog. (People’s Daily Online/Yan Mengjie)