All Fun and Games? Relationships between Finnish Police Dogs and Their Handlers

Abstract The paper presents the first cultural anthropological study of the Finnish canine police force. The study is based on interviews with eleven police dog handlers. The interviews focused on the cultural model of the profession, with emphasis on the interaction between dogs and their handlers. The relationship is surprisingly reciprocal. It can be understood as operating on the principles of an interspecies social contract, where the categorical division between the species is, paradoxically, vigorously maintained and habitually broken. The police dog requires constant negotiation to perform tasks that humans themselves cannot do. Rather than being forced, the dogs are guided through play and positive reinforcement into performing tasks. Relationships of canine police teams are deeply personal and in navigating the complexities of a human-driven society, the canine assumes many different roles. Conceptualizing police dogs as mediators for their natural talents, instead of mere tools, could formalize their place in society.