Dox

One day a policeman named Giovanni Maimone just happened to be passing by a pet store and he looked inside and saw a German Shepherd pup in the window. It wasn't on his agenda to buy a dog that day but he ended up coming out of the shop dog in tow. "It was love at first sight," Giovanni told his friends and family. And he named his new pet Dox. 

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Maimone worked as a policeman in the city of Turin, Italy. He trained Dox to help him in his work. Dox was very smart. He liked most dogs, had a good sense of smell. Maimone trained Dox to find hidden things like jewels, money or people. Maimone worked with Dox and he trained him as much and as often as he could. Every person has their own special smell. Maimone took a handkerchief and a cigarette case from an acquaintance and he hid the cigarette case behind the cushion of a chair. He would let Dox sniff the handkerchief and he'd say, "Find it, Boy!". Now Dox didn't understand at first. So Maimone led the dog to the chair, lifted the cushion and showed Dox the cigarette case. Dox would sniff it and Maimone would say "Good boy!" Very soon Dox understood exactly what was going on. Every time his master asked him to sniff something and then say, "Find it!" Dox knew what to do.

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One day a jewelry story was robbed. The thief escaped with many fine jewels. He'd left nothing behind except a dirty glove. Maimone knew it was time to test Dox on a real case. No more games. 

When they got to the jewelry store several other policemen were there. Maimone asked for the glove. He let Dox sniff it and said"Find him, Dox!" First Dox sniffed across the floor then out the door he ran. Followed by Maimone and the other policemen. Dox moved slowly but steadily for several blocks. Then he came to a big highway. He started down it one way. He stopped. He sniffed by the side of the road for a few minutes then he set off in the other direction. At last he turned off the highway into a narrow side street. He lead them to one of the houses on the street and sat down on the porch. A woman answered the door and explained their was no one there but her and her husband was in jail. After some checking they soon found out that the woman was lying. Her husband had been in jail. But now he was out. A few days later the police caught him in a nearby town. He admitted to robbing the jewelry store and stopping by his home for a few minutes to say good-bye to his wife and child. 

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So his career began, the dog detective. Before long police in other towns heard about Dox. They would often as for his assistance. He ended up working with police all over Italy. He became very well known in the city. On is birthday every year Maimone would lead him from one place to another. At each door Dox would stop and sniff. Then he would go in for his favorite birthday dinner. Usually of spaghetti or pork. On Dox's thirteenth birthday Maimone led him from restaurant to restaurant until they came upon a small restaurant. Dox took a deep sniff. He became very still. Only is nose continued to twitch. He pushed open the door and went inside. Dox wasn't interested in the food. Not now. He headed straight for a man. The man tried to pretend he didn't see dox. Maimone recognized the man. He was a criminal who had escaped from the police. Dox had remembered his human smell for more than six years. 

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Year after year Dox did his job. In fifteen years he helped catch more than 400 criminals! "He has probably cracked more cases than any detective on the force," one police officer said. "We consider him one of our best men."