BRAVE DOG Aquitaine department prefect Patrick Stefanini (2nd from left) prepares to award police dog Aldo on November 9, 2011, at the Bordeaux city hall. Aldo, a Belgian Malinois sheepdog, has been behind 1,700 arrests since he started working for the Bordeaux police department in 2006 鈥� almost one a day 鈥� and 475 arrests this year alone. Aldo's handler Didier Hude did not receive a medal. AFP PHOTO/NICOLAS TUCAT
BORDEAUX鈥擜 French police dog credited with sniffing out 1,700 drug suspects was on Wednesday decorated with a medal for bravery and dedication at a ceremony in the southwestern city of Bordeaux.
Aldo, a Belgian Malinois sheepdog, has been behind 1,700 arrests since he started working for the Bordeaux police department in 2006 鈥� almost one a day 鈥� and 475 arrests this year alone.
鈥淎ldo is a police dog with an absolutely remarkable career,鈥� said regional police chief Patrick Stefanini.
Regional public security official Pierre-Marie Bourniquel said that less than a dozen police dogs had been decorated in France.
Aldo鈥檚 handler Didier Hude did not receive a medal.