Senior Constable Giese welcomes foster puppy Mako to local police ranks

Bundaberg Police Senior Constable Luke Giese picked Mako the 8–10 week old pup up on Wednesday and will be fostering the young recruit and helping to train him.

Named after a shark, though a little more playful at this stage, police foster puppy Mako is set to call Bundaberg home for at least a year.

Bundaberg Police Senior Constable Luke Giese picked Mako the 8–10 week old pup up on Wednesday and will be fostering the young recruit and helping to train him.

Sen Const Giese will assist training Mako with dog squad officers where he’ll be taught tracking, bite work and obedience.

Already bringing Mako to work with him, to familiarise the pup with the routine of a working police dog, Sen Const Giese said the puppy can also be a morale booster around the station.

He said while in Bundaberg Mako’s main training would be tracking work, start with scent pads and then eventually identifying scents with rewards and tracking offenders.

Not only is Sen Const Giese looking after Mako, but he also got to name the new recruit.

“Normally with the foster dogs, when they are bred by the QPS they are given a litter name, which continues through the alphabet as we produce litters,” he said.

“Mako was actually a purchase dog for the QPS and the breeder didn’t have a name for him so I got to name him.

“As they get commonly known as land sharks I just thought a species of a shark might be an appropriate name for him and Mako was the pick for the name,” he said.

Sen Const Giese said he’d always wanted to join the dog squad and while the dogs don’t typically get fostered outside of Brisbane, the foster program was a good step and development move for himself.

Sen Const Giese said police dogs were a big asset to their work in the police service, and if they are socialised well, not only can they track offenders that run from scenes, but also help find missing persons, elderly and vulnerable children, in a timely manner and without incident.

He said the presence of a police dog alone can also make a situation safer for officers.

Sen Const Giese said the last pup that he raised was on the road in Townsville.

He said while it was sad to give them back, it was rewarding experience to raise them and see them on the road doing their job.

From the 12-16 month age mark, Mako can undergo a course to go on the road as a police dog.