K9 dog receives award by Malaysian police
Image adapted from: Bernama
Dogs are men’s best friends, but are often underrated when it comes to humans truly showing appreciation for them. Well, a local police K9 tracker dog named Lao Wu has recently turned heads when it was awarded the prestigious Jasamu Dikenang medal by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) in Pahang for its critical achievements.
In case you weren’t aware, K9s play a crucial role in police operations, and it’s without doubt that they are extremely intelligent. It helps that they have a strong sense of smell that’s useful for detecting narcotics or tracking down fugitives, which is exactly how Lao Wu bagged this award.
Tracked down a fleeing criminal
The 5-year-old German Shepard became the recipient of the Jasamu Dikenang award after tracking down a vehicle theft suspect back on 14th November 2020. The suspect had fled more than 4KM into an oil palm plantation near Felda Sungai Tekam in Jerantut, Pahang.
Lao Wu remained calm as his handler Sanmugam draped the medal around his neck.
Image credit: Polis Diraja Malaysia
According to Bernama, the suspect had already been shot in the leg earlier on in the operation. When the team began the search in the oil palm plantation at 1.45AM, Lao Wu managed to sniff out a blood-stained shirt that belonged to the suspect just 50M from their starting point.
Sanmugam, Lao Wu’s handler since 2015, recalled the incident and said that Lao Wu was so excited to find the suspect that he tugged too hard at his leash till Sanmugam tripped over.
Lao Wu and his medal
Image credit: Bernama
Hours into the search operation, Lao Wu led the team to a river in the plantation where its’ insistence to cross over made Sanmugam believe that the suspect was hiding on the other side. It was about 6AM when they crossed the river, and they found bloodstains nearby.
Lao Wu then led the team to a house where the suspect was finally found hiding behind the premises.
A valuable addition to the local police unit
This crime-busting doggo has proven that he’s a valuable team member to the Pahang police contingent by demonstrating his acute sense when chasing after a suspect. We’re also heartened to see Lao Wu’s contributions are appreciated by the PDRM.
Pictured: Murat, a K9 who also received the award in Johor back in 2016.
Image credit: Polis Diraja Malaysia
PDRM is no stranger to giving credit where it’s due, and Lao Wu isn’t the first doggo to receive such a prestigious award in Malaysia. In 2016, an 8-year-old K9 named Murat bagged the Jasamu Dikenang award in Johor for sniffing out gang members who had escaped from the police.
As all pet owners know, dogs can be highly intelligent and have a strong sense of smell that’s useful when tracking down fugitives or detecting narcotics. K9 units also show how great doggos are in the service line and this award given to Lao Wu may just help break the pre-existing taboo on dogs in Malaysia.
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