There is no doubt that sworn dogs are integral to Queensland Police work across the state. However we should not forget that dogs also formed part of an officer’s family especially when they were posted to small stations in outback Queensland.
Technically these canine companions were not trained as police dogs but more than likely were used for police work if the situation called for it. Some single officers posted to one man stations, would have undoubtedly found the companion of a dog to be a blessing.
The following is written on the back of the photograph featuring Constables Clines and Schnitzerling:
3rd May 1911
Dear Mother
I am forwarding to you a schnapshot taken whilst out on Patrol, The two dogs take a good photo, the black dog on the right hand side of my friend (far right of the photo), is my best beef hound, I am breaking it in to heel the drunks this crushing season. The fellow walking behind is our black tracker, following us out to catch his horse. Good bye with kind love to all at home, from your son HB Schnitzerling.
This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing.
The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.
Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au
“A police officer’s best friend” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode