Language Barrier Doesn’t Irk His Partner Irk

Police Officer Neil Rogers really likes his new partner.

“He’s smart, and I trust him,” Rogers said.

Only one problem: Rogers’ new partner doesn’t understand English. He prefers the language of the Czech Republic, where he grew up.

“So I just learned how to speak Czech to him,” Rogers said.

According to Lt. Dan Johnson, a spokesman for the Huntington Beach Police Department, it is common procedure for police to learn to speak the native language of the dog.

“Just about all the police dogs come from Europe,” Johnson said. “We [in Huntington Beach] have dogs who only understand German, Dutch or Czech. So our handlers learn how to give commands in those languages.”

Rogers learned Czech commands from a brochure that accompanied Irk, La Palma’s new police dog.

Some Czech commands that Rogers gives Irk are lehni, meaning “lie down,” and sedni, meaning “sit down.” Whenever Rogers says knoze, Irk snaps to attention and instantly trots to the rear of the police officer, standing alert at his heels.

“Knoze is probably the word I use the most,” Rogers said.

The 2-year-old canine was imported last fall and joined the department in January. Irk, the department’s only police dog, replaced an older animal that was retired.

Irk will handle a full range of police dog activities, including patrolling problem crime areas and helping track down suspects.

The 80-pound animal is also being trained for special work in sniffing out narcotics. Recently, Irk’s narcotics schooling included a stint on the U.S.-Mexican border in San Diego County.

“Irk really likes searching for narcotics,” Rogers said. “He thinks it’s a game.”

Rogers, 30, a 4 1/2-year veteran of the La Palma force, says that he and Irk work together all day, then go home to Placentia each night.

“He has a kennel at my home,” Rogers said. “My wife really likes Irk also.”

In the mornings, Rogers added, Irk is eager to go to work: “He’s always ready to jump in the car.”

Johnson said it would be confusing for imported dogs to try to learn new commands in English. “They’ve been trained since they were pups in their language,” Johnson said. “It’s just easier for our officers to learn to speak the commands in the same language the dog knows.”

Whatever the language, the relationship between a person and a dog is more than talk. Rogers said he plays with Irk, understands the dog, and has really bonded with him.

And Irk obviously is fond of Rogers.

During their work together, the dog stays close to Rogers, occasionally jumping up to be petted.

And even though Irk prefers to be spoken to in Czech, he now understands--and seems to like--two English words that Rogers frequently uses.

“Good boy,” Rogers said, as he patted Irk following a recent workout. “Good boy.”