France hails police dog with 1,700 arrests under its collar

BRAVE DOG Aquitaine department prefect Patrick Stefanini (2nd from left) prepares to award police dog Aldo on November 9, 2011, at the Bordeaux city hall. Aldo, a Belgian Malinois sheepdog, has been behind 1,700 arrests since he started working for the Bordeaux police department in 2006 – almost one a day – and 475 arrests this year alone. Aldo's handler Didier Hude did not receive a medal. AFP PHOTO/NICOLAS TUCAT

BORDEAUX—A French police dog credited with sniffing out 1,700 drug suspects was on Wednesday decorated with a medal for bravery and dedication at a ceremony in the southwestern city of Bordeaux.

Aldo, a Belgian Malinois sheepdog, has been behind 1,700 arrests since he started working for the Bordeaux police department in 2006 – almost one a day – and 475 arrests this year alone.

“Aldo is a police dog with an absolutely remarkable career,” said regional police chief Patrick Stefanini.

Regional public security official Pierre-Marie Bourniquel said that less than a dozen police dogs had been decorated in France.

Aldo’s handler Didier Hude did not receive a medal.