Gustavo Expósito is one of the canine guides who is part of the recent working group of the Canarian Police General Body, which started its journey just a few months ago. Dina and Barry are the dogs who work and live with him. Gustavo met Dina when she was three months old and brought Barry from Belgium when he was only 18 months old. Both were adopted by Gustavo through a friend who lives in that country.
Since then, Gustavo has maintained a very close bond with the dogs, not only professionally but also as a family, as his wife and children have a close relationship with the dogs. Expósito says that when he was offered to be a canine guide, “Dina was not yet ready for the search work”, so he contacted a trainer, Alexander, “a professional with a lot of knowledge,” and thanks to him, he has learned to train his dogs, a total of six in his family circle, and how to have an obedient relationship with them.
Gustavo particularly trains the dogs three times a week in La Esperanza and there Alexander advises him on everything. On a day off, he gets up at seven in the morning, takes Dina and Barry for a walk and then has breakfast at his usual café, where both remain very calm, “they are already known there,” says the agent.
Gustavo Expósito, training a dog from the Canarian Police. / La Provincia
On a workday, he loads the dogs into his car, goes to the base where he carries out his administrative tasks, and then trains with them, either at the facilities or in a public space. Depending on the day, he also patrols at bus stations, tram stops, or visits certain schools and institutes.
He also mentions that the guides from Tenerife gather once a week for a joint training session and occasionally meet and train at the UNIPOL facilities in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Furthermore, once a month, they travel to work with the guides from the island of Gran Canaria or they come to the island of Tenerife, all with the aim of maintaining contact, evaluating progress made, or analysing group actions.
Reflecting on some anecdotes, Gustavo highlights that “in these first months as a canine guide, Barry has been a unique dog, who professionally performs his duty, but cannot help being very affectionate with people.”
Autonomous Police Canine Guides Group
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This group is made up of two units, one in Gran Canaria and one in Tenerife, with the ability to travel to all the islands, composed of a total of eight dogs: Barry, Dina, Gina, Goku, and Dirá are the dogs from Tenerife and Disel, Sía, and Nilo, the dogs from the Canary Islands, along with the six agents specially trained as canine guides, three in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and three in the province of Las Palmas.
This group is part of the Police Intervention Unit and provides services in the detection of narcotics. Additionally, they are available to local police forces when needed to conduct searches in public squares, school or institute exteriors, etc.
Their training has been provided by the Directorate General of Studies, Training, and Research in collaboration with the Local Police of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which provided the facilities.
The group has also been in service with dogs deployed to the islands of La Gomera and La Palma, where they have carried out operations focused on inspecting commercial and tourist areas, as well as public transportation.
Dogs with a badge in the Canarian Police General Body
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The deputy commissioner of the Canarian Police General Body, Javier Melián, emphasizes that the “dogs are registered with their badge number and it is a strong commitment of the Directorate General of Security because we had this need.” This group has a continuous task of detecting narcotics in public places, public services, and especially in areas with a large presence of minors.
Melián states that “the public accepts and views with a sense of security that the Autonomous Police appear with these new officers and their presence on islands like La Gomera or La Palma has been fully accepted.”
Looking ahead, he points out that “the intention is to continue improving and perfecting the group, as well as training the dogs in other activities such as searching for missing persons and having rescue dogs or dogs specialised in explosive detection.”
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For the deputy commissioner, the key is that “a total trust relationship is established between the guide and the dog, and, for example, on trips to other islands, they share the same room.” They need to maintain training and a close relationship with their guide every day, “it’s a partnership with no differentiation.”
