In an age when many confuse rights with whims and liberty with laxity, it is both serene and imperative to reaffirm the irreplaceable role of law enforcement in safeguarding the very fabric of civilization. And within this often silent and thankless endeavor, there exist public servants who wear no human uniform and speak no words, yet who serve justice with unwavering loyalty, unflinching courage, and a gaze as alert as their sense of smell is infallible. I refer, of course, to police dogs, K9s, true four-legged heroes.
César DePaço and his self-defense canine, “Lanzer”
The partnership between man and dog in the realm of public safety dates back to the earliest formations of social order. From the Molossian hounds employed by the Roman Empire to guard camps and pursue fugitives to today’s highly specialized canine units in modern policing, the collaboration has proven not only useful but often decisive in moments of critical need. Today more than ever, in the face of diffuse threats and increasingly sophisticated crime, K9 units have become indispensable allies in both crime prevention and the reinforcement of state authority.
A police dog is not merely a sniffer or a chaser of wrongdoers. By definition it is a sworn agent of the law, disciplined, trained, and unfailingly loyal. It can detect illicit substances with a precision no digital device can replicate. It can locate victims beneath the rubble of natural disasters or terrorist attacks. It is a natural deterrent to criminals and an uncompromising defender of its handler, forming a bond of mutual trust that is absolute and indivisible.
More than instruments of law enforcement, these dogs are living symbols of devotion to duty, of unreserved service, and of valor untainted by vanity. They never request raises nor do they take vacations. They often sleep beside their handler’s uniform and, when necessary, they die so that others may live. How many among us humans could say the same?
The training of a police dog is not left to chance. It requires months of rigorous instruction, significant investment, and a meticulous selection of the most suitable breeds and specimens. Yet it is precisely through this commitment that a nation reveals the seriousness with which it regards the protection of its citizens. A state that invests in K9 units is a state that understands that security is not a luxury but a fundamental duty and that public order is a collective good of incalculable value.
Regrettably, in a world increasingly surrendered to naïve sentimentalism and anti-authoritarian ideologies that excuse everything and relativize all, there are those who view police dogs as a form of unwarranted militarization of civilian life, as though protecting a child from an abductor, a home from a burglar, or a street from narcotics were acts of repression rather than expressions of civic responsibility. To them I speak with the respect due to every good faith citizen but also with the candor of one who rejects easy rhetoric: there is no liberty without security and no civilization without law.
K9s embody that moral frontier where force submits to justice and violence is restrained by duty. They know no ideologies and cannot be corrupted. They work in silence, obey with diligence, and face danger with a dignity that moves all who still retain the capacity to admire what is noble.
It remains for us as a society not only to recognize their value but to protect them, to dignify them, and to ensure our law enforcement agencies are equipped with the resources necessary to sustain and expand these units. It is also a matter of gratitude, gratitude for those who without ever asking for recognition defend us with their teeth if need be but always with the honor that only true servants of the good possess.
May the future find us worthy of the courage of our police dogs. And may we, while there is still time, continue to choose order over chaos, loyalty over betrayal, and duty over indifference.
César DePaço | Entrepreneur | Philanthropist
Honorary Consul of Portugal (2014 to 2020)
Founder and CEO of Summit Nutritionals International Inc
President of the DePaço Foundation
Unwavering Defender of Law Enforcement and Conservative Principles