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Medford�s Tanja shows she�s top dog Mail Tribune/Jim Craven photos Medford police officer Dave Plummer and his partner, Tanja, an 8-1/2-year-old Dutch malinois, search a Medford alleyway for a suspected criminal. Tanja was named "top dog" in a statewide police-dog competition this month. Below, Plummer watches as Tanja searches a vehicle. She can sniff out hidden drugs within 30 seconds. She�s also trained to chase after and latch onto fleeing suspects. Police officer-dog team wins honors in state contest By Joanna Collins The night has started off slow for Tanja, but that�s OK, considering how hard she trained in the heat of the afternoon. It gives her a chance to rest in the back seat of her Medford police car, complete with water bowl, and soak in the blasting air conditioning and breeze from a fan in the window. But life�s not always this posh for the 8-1/2-year-old Dutch malinois. Cross-trained in patrol and drug-sniffing duties, Tanja (pronounced Tanya) cruises the streets four nights a week with Medford police officer Dave Plummer. He and the dog � one of two in the city�s police department � have worked and lived together five years. "She�s a partner, she�s a family member, but she�s a working dog foremost," says Plummer. This month she proved just how hard a worker she is. Tanja was named "top dog" for her consistency in six exercises in a Springfield Police Department K-9 competition, beating 19 other teams from around the state. Plummer and Tanja regularly patrol Medford streets, but the partners don�t have an assigned area or specific duties. That way, they are available whenever Tanja is needed to search for drugs or suspects. "I try to make myself available to the guys all the time, on or off duty, so the (K-9) program can be used to its absolute potential," says Plummer. Some nights, Tanja will be used as many as five times to catch criminals. She�s trained to chase after and latch onto fleeing suspects, throwing them off balance. In other situations, Plummer boasts, she�s sniffed out as much as 25 pounds of methamphetamine. What is it like to have a dog for a partner? "The benefit is having the dog there, ready to deploy, at its peak performance," says Plummer. He says that, oftentimes, simply the presence of Tanja will cause a criminal to give in. In the Springfield competition, challenges included an agility course, speed races, searching for a hidden suspect and apprehending fleeing suspects. Even though Tanja didn�t place first in all the exercises, Plummer said, she did well in all of them. Tanja was also the only female in the competition. Plummer says police departments tend to purchase only males, but Tanja was so special Medford broke the mold. Bred and trained in The Netherlands, the Dutch malinois graduated with honors. She obeys Dutch commands Plummer uses like "los," which means "let go." It�s also rare for K-9 dogs to be trained in both narcotics and patrol work. Plummer estimates that only 10 percent of police dogs in Oregon are cross-trained. Tanja�s an exception to her high-strung breed, Plummer says, because she�s laid back and easy going. This will enable her to work for a few years beyond other police dogs. Even though she�s in great shape, Tanja will probably give up physically stressful patrol duties such as chasing suspects in a year or so. But she won�t stop doing what Plummer said is her strength � locating drugs with her nose. During a demonstration at a car yard,Plummer hides a cotton ball that had been stored in a jar with sealed bags of marijuana. He places it deep in a car�s ashtray and closes the ashtray. On command, Tanja jumps in the car and searches. In less than 30 seconds, she is scratching and barking at the ashtray. Plummer praises her in a high-pitched voice that seems out of place for a police officer. "There�s got to be a lot of kid in you to work a dog successfully," says Plummer. "You got to be silly." For a reward, Tanja is allowed some play time. Plummer plays tug-of-war with her using a rolled-up towel. He loses, and Tanja runs off with her new trophy. Even though she can do what she wants, she prances around the cars in the yard like she�s on assignment. She circles cars, her tail wagging and her nose alert for drugs. "Narcotics work is merely a game (for Tanja)," says Plummer. The police department�s other dog is a Czechoslovakian shepherd named Tiko. Plummer says a third dog is in next year�s budget. "Having more dogs would give us a greater shift coverage so we could have a dog on duty and available at all times," says Plummer. 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