Senior Constable Billy Hill and Indo made a star tracking team. Photo / Supplied
Senior Constable Billy Hill and Indo made a star tracking team. Photo / Supplied
If first impressions were anything to go by, Indo and Senior Constable Billy Hill didn’t have the makings of a successful paring.
Luckily for them, the duo managed to move beyond the initial ‘issues’ to become a formidable Bay of Plenty delta (police dog handling) team over the past six years – a partnership that’s now ended with the retirement of Indo for health reasons, NZ Police Ten One Magazine said this week.
“He was a tracking machine,” Hill said.
“We caught people I didn’t think we would ever catch.”
That drive to find people was still strong despite the health issues that had put paid to Indo’s working career. As he eased into retirement, he’s still heading to work most days in the dog van, still wanting to be part of the crew.
Senior Constable Billy Hill and Indo made a star tracking team.
Hill said the difficulties at the start of their pairing came because his old dog was so hard and, while Indo wasn’t soft, he didn’t respond to the way Hill was handling him.
“I had to pull myself into the heel a bit and modify my training. I knew it was me, that I had to change. He wasn’t soft, he just didn’t respond to the way I was handling him.
On reflection, Hill said, Indo has had a stellar run.
A dogged track over two hours through metres-high blackberry in National Park is one of the highlights.
The dense blackberry and a two-and-a-half hour time delay weren’t an obstacle as the determined dog tracked and apprehended two people for a range of offences after they dumped a stolen vehicle and went bush.
Senior Constable Billy Hill and Indo made a star tracking team. Photo / Supplied
“That track and his efforts were really memorable.”
Another track through the Rotorua CBD, hunting juveniles after a ram raid in Tokoroa, also has a firm spot in the highlights reel.
“That was probably the best track ever. I lost count of how many fences we went over and properties we went through. The young fella was a savvy offender and for us to actually get him, that was incredible.”
There were also occasions where Hill knew Indo had his back, including a time when a man on a synthetic cannabis-induced bender tried to “have a crack” – only to learn of Indo’s loyalty to his handler.
As well as tracking offenders, Indo was also a trained Search and Rescue (SAR) dog.
And in 2022, Indo and Billy’s pairing was recognised at a national level, with the pair taking out third place in the National Police Patrol Dog Championships.
Senior Constable Billy Hill and Indo made a star tracking team. Photo / Supplied
That work ethic continued even as Indo developed arthritis in his back legs, but Hill said the decision to retire him was an easy one, knowing how much pain he was in.
