The Los Angeles Police Department pulled the plug on a months-long project to train two Jindo dogs from South Korea to add to their K-9 unit, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Police officials said the Jindos were loyal but were prone to get distracted, not exactly a desired trait for a police dog being counted on to control a crowd or sniff out drugs or weapons.
“We worked hard with the dogs to develop their skills of sniffing out the odor of guns for detective work,” said Sgt. Doug Roller, chief trainer for the K-9 platoon of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Metropolitan Division, according to the L.A. Times. “They pretty much mastered the task, but once they got out of the training environment, they got distracted in the real world…. A leaf would blow, and they’d go chase it.”
The Jindos — named Daehan and Mingook, which together translate as “Republic of Korea” — have been placed in private homes after trainers determined they lacked sufficient focus and consistency.
Those skeptical of Jindos as police dogs, including many owners, say such behavior is common in the breed, which they say is prone to roam and bolt. Many say the affectionate dogs, though they are good household pets, are often overly independent and therefore difficult to train. They also tend to be dominant with other dogs.
In other words, many say, they’re not exactly the team players needed for police work.
However, we at KoreAm did some digging and it appears that not all sides of the story are being reported. Keep an eye out for our story in the upcoming December issue.
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