Meet the newest (and cutest) member of Scotland's Police Force

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Photo Credit: Tayside Police

He is only six weeks old and still has to be named. But he has his own "blog" and has already left home and found a real job! Meet the newest and cutest member of Scotland's Tayside Police Force.

This jet-black German Shepherd was picked from a litter of seven dogs, bred specially for the police department. He will be the youngest member of the eleven-dog team at Tayside, and judging from the fan mail he is receiving, the most popular. He has an online blog (diary), where he "writes" his daily adventures. There is currently a competition being held to find him a name.

The police dogs at Tayside are divided into two categories: General Purpose Dogs and Specialist Search Dogs. This puppy will be part of the General Purpose Team, who are used on a variety of different missions, such as looking for missing persons or criminals and searching for lost property. All General Purpose Dogs are German Shepherds.

Max (Photo Credit: Tayside Police)

The Specialist Search Dogs are a mix of breeds and includes a Labrador, a Springer Spaniel, and even a German Wired Haired Pointer. Their job is to "sniff" for illegal drugs or explosives.

All dogs start their police training when they are between 1- 2 years old, and work in the police force until they are 7-9 years old. They each receive a minimum of 12 weeks training and then have to pass a test before they can start working.

While this new puppy is grabbing all the attention, the police force's other members are not so bad looking either, and they have all been through some exciting adventures. They include: Bruce, Tayside's most experienced and accomplished police dog. Bruce is a nine-year-old Labrador, who has been in the police force for eight years. He is credited for "sniffing" out about $800,000 US dollars worth of illegal drugs in his eight-year tenure (time) as a police dog.

Max, a six-year-old German Shepherd, has been with the force for five years. His most successful mission was when he found two ten-year-old boys, who were accidentally locked up in a cellar in freezing weather.

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