OKAYAMA -- A cute new face has joined the big-dog dominated world of Japan's police canines: a toy poodle.

       The diminutive animal, named Hannah, has been commissioned by Okayama Prefectural Police to search for missing persons and investigate crimes, and will begin her two-year stint as a "sniffing investigator" in January 2022. She is Okayama Prefecture's first toy poodle police dog.

       The 6-year-old Hannah is about 24-centimeters tall and weighs around 2.5 kilograms. Her shiny, amber fur and round eyes make her an adorable addition to the force.

       Hannah and her owner Masae Inoue are seen together at the Okayama Prefectural Police's forensic science center in Kita Ward, Okayama, on Dec. 1, 2021. (Mainichi/Kazuki Iwamoto)

       Hannah was trained by Masae Inoue, a 45-year-old resident of the prefectural town of Misaki. Inoue had also been training Hershey, a male Labrador retriever, as a police dog since 2018. And Hannah grew up watching Hershey. The Labrador was a quick learner, and he passed the police test after constant training. Since then, several times a week Hershey has been working on improving his skills by sniffing and tracking footprints in a nearby park.

       About two years ago, during a break in Hershey's practice, Inoue tried the same training with Hannah just for fun, and the toy poodle was able to do every task. Hannah is said to learn quickly, and Inoue commented that the toy poodle "watched Hershey's movements and learned them on her own."

       At a November 2021 screening session, Hannah passed on the first attempt. Inoue said that she lacked confidence going into the trial, but "Hannah wasn't nervous and we were able to perform as usual." Unlike Hershey, who passed the test after training with a professional, Hannah passed after training only with Inoue. "She has a lot of pride, so I guess she thinks she deserves it," Inoue said with a laugh.

       Regarding Hannah's new role in 2022, Inoue worries, "She is a sensitive dog, so she may get overwhelmed by all the different places and situations." On the other hand, Inoue also has high hopes that Hannah's high sensitivity will allow her to sniff out smells carefully.

       Hannah looks up at her owner Masae Inoue at the Okayama Prefectural Police's forensic science center in Kita Ward, Okayama, on Dec. 1, 2021. (Mainichi/Kazuki Iwamoto)

       "There are things she can do because she is small. I hope she will be able to search narrow places and out-of-sight areas," Inoue said.

       Tamotsu Omori, deputy chief of the prefectural police's forensics division, also expressed hope that Hannah's adorable appearance will allow her to work in places where large dogs cannot.

       At the commissioning ceremony held at Okayama Prefectural Police headquarters in Kita Ward, Okayama, police chief Shigetomi Higaki handed over the letters of appointment to some 25 instructors whose dogs passed the November screening, including Inoue.

       Thirty-four dogs were commissioned that day, most of them large dogs such as German shepherds and Labrador retrievers. According to the forensics division, most police dogs used to be German shepherds, which are also used as military dogs. At this year's screening, dogs that are popular as pets, including Belgian Malinois and Jack Russell terriers, also passed the test.

       "The widening variety of dog breeds being kept as pets may be one of the reasons why there is a greater range of breeds being commissioned as police dogs," a division representative said.

       (Japanese original by Kazuki Iwamoto, Okayama Bureau)

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