A tiny dog decked out in a police uniform has been filmed patrolling an airport in South America.
While any would-be smugglers might be on their guard around this particular pup, most people watching on social media were more focused on the fluffy cuteness of it all.
In a video shared to TikTok by Agata Fornasa, a chihuahua wearing a high-visibility police jacket featuring an official badge, can be seen stalking around an airport sniffing at bags and several would-be travelers.
The clip can be watched here.
According to The Dodo, Fornasa spotted the dog among a group of police officers while passing through an airport.
"Standing next to them was a little dog who began to sniff all the suitcases," she told the news outlet. "The girls from the duty-free shop told me that his name was Chiqui and that he worked as a drug dog. I thought it was beautiful, so I filmed it."
The canine featured on the clip certainly carries himself with an air of authority, strutting around the busy airport with a quiet confidence as he goes about his duty. At the time of writing, the video of Chiqui's patrol had amassed more than 9 million views on TikTok with fans gushing over the footage of the tiny dog at work.
Rene_kintsukoroi dubbed him a "pocket pet cop," while eva_glez said the dog's diminutive stature made him the perfect "undercover agent." Happypancho39 thought the footage was "so darn cute" with Sara211902 warning: "watch out, don't step on him!"
Taking the Job Seriously
Dacotsta commented: "I love how he takes his job so seriously" while Bernice Salinas328 declared: "Whatever they're paying him isn't enough." Elsewhere, Juan Zavala loved the way Chiqui was "walking like a boss" in the video and v.v.0077 just adored his "little vest."
Though German Shepherds are traditionally deployed as police dogs, chihuahua's have been known to serve as sniffer dogs in the past. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, in November 2006, a chihuahua / rat terrier cross called Midge made history by becoming the smallest police dog in the world.
Measuring in at 28 centimeters (11 inches) tall and 58 cms long, Midge served as an official Law Enforcement Work Dog alongside Sheriff Dan McClelland at Geauga County Sheriff's Office, Chardon in Ohio. Midge was trained to be alert to the presence of marijuana and was officially deployed in a variety of arrests, when executing search warrants and in drug seizures.
Speaking to NBC News around the time Midge joined the force, Bob Eden, who trained dogs and handlers for the police, extolled the virtues of law enforcement officials enlisting dogs like chihuahuas to assist them in their efforts.
"Smaller pups can get into smaller and tighter spaces in order to carry out their searches," he said. Eden argued that in many cases, police prefer bigger dogs because of the image it projects.
"A Jack Russell terrier may make an extremely capable narcotics detection dog," he explained, "yet some agencies would shy away from using such a breed simply because the dog doesn't have the same respect level from the public as a Lab or shepherd might."
According to Wave3, McClelland and Midge retired in 2016. In April 2021, McClelland sadly passed away with his beloved K9 partner dying just a few hours later.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Beresford is a Newsweek Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter, based in London, UK. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
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