Rocco the German Short Haired Pointer has gone from the SPCA to a career with Corrections.
He was left with the Invercargill SPCA because he was over exuberant an energetic for his owners. SPCA Dog Manager Anna knew immediately he was not going to be suitable as a pet. Rocco needed a job.
She contacted OCF dog handler Werner Botha to talk about the dog’s potential to work hard, seek and never give up on his tasks.
Corrections sent three assessors to watch Anna and Rocco work on his seek training. They decided he needed to be assessed in a Corrections’ environment so off he went to Invercargill Prison where he was put through his paces.
With next to no training, Rocco showed the three assessors that he has what it takes to become a detection dog.
He’s since been selected to start his training in Wellington and work in the Lower North Region searching for contraband including cellphones and tobacco.