KEY POINTS:
Police in Christchurch are looking for a new recruit - one that is a "bit of a handful" and a good jumper.
A back problem means Senior Constable Peter Greenland's 4-1/2-year-old dog Urban has to be retired immediately and a shortage of four-footed sleuths has police seeking volunteers from the community.
"We're looking for anyone who has a german shepherd, preferably male, which has lots of character, drive, is not afraid and, to be honest, is probably a bit of a handful for the owner," Mr Greenland said today.
All puppies in the national police dog breeding programme had been "spoken for" and took about 18 months to become operational, he said.
Mr Greenland is looking for a good dog aged eight months or older.
When Urban wouldn't jump into his kennel for food, Mr Greenland knew his workmate had problems.
"He'd recently done a night shift with two good tracking catches over fences, but he just showed his reluctance to jump," he said.
Urban, a kennel-bred dog, would now become a family pet.
Anyone with a dog who was getting too much for them and believed they might have the "X-factor" is asked to contact Christchurch police.
- NZPA
