Tauranga's newest police puppy recruit attracts strong following

Mount Maunganui Constable Max Wealleans, 19, with new recruit puppy Mako. Photo / Andrew Warner

Tauranga's newest police recruit is still learning not to dribble on his uniform.

But the eight-week-old puppy is already attracting plenty of fans, keen to offer him a new name.

The new cadet has come from the "M" litter of the National Police Dog Training Centre in Trentham. Bay of Plenty police took to Facebook earlier this week to ask for suggestions which included Monty, Mauao, Maui and Mojo. But it was the name Mako that was the winner.

We have just had a new Police foster puppy arrive in Tauranga. His father (Rocco) is a police dog in Queensland and...

Posted by Bay of Plenty & Taupo Police on Sunday, 1 September 2019

The 6.6kg ball of fluff is being fostered by Mount Maunganui Constable Max Wealleans, who has aspirations of becoming a dog handler. Now, with the arrival of Mako, he is part of the way there.

"Taking a dog every day to work for your job, that's pretty cool. It's quick thinking, and a lot of the time you're on your own but at the same time, you're working with your best mate."

Wealleans, 19, will look after Mako until he is old enough for formal training at about 10 or 11 months old. Mako will likely become an operational police dog when he reaches 18 months to 2 years old.

The fostering involves taking Mako wherever Wealleans goes, whether that be the beach, out for dinner or even the supermarket. It also involves some sleepless nights for Wealleans and his partner, for now at least.

"The first couple of nights he cried a bit but he's definitely progressed since then. He's pretty happy," Wealleans said.

So far, Wealleans has discovered Mako likes to chew stones and is keen to play with other dogs.

"Yeah, he's pretty cute."

Such distractions are all part of police pup life.

Coastal Bay of Plenty Dog Section supervisor Sergeant Scott Robinson said getting police puppies out in different environments, elements, "and all the other weird and wonderful things that exist in our everyday world" was an integral part of their training, even at Mako's young age.

"[He] also has to be confident around people and in the dark as well."

Mako is expected to weigh 40kg to 42kg once he is fully grown at 2.5 to 3 years old.

Tauranga also has four puppies aged six, seven, 10 and 11 weeks old as part of the police foster dog programme.

"These dogs are raised in foster families in and around Tauranga and as they get older, will start their formal training with a handler and eventually (if they make the grade) will replace our current dogs as they get older," Robinson said.

Tauranga already has four police dogs and handlers in operation. Robinson is the sergeant of the team and has another dog about to also join the ranks.

Mako was the only one in his litter and arrived in Tauranga on Thursday last week. He spent his first eight weeks as part of a little of labrador pups who were born at the same time.

Robinson said the labrador mother accepted him as one of her own and he essentially became part of their litter. Mako's foster siblings will go on to become detector dogs for narcotics, guns and explosives.