A note from the Kumamoto International desk of improbable realities: There is apparently a village south of Hitoyoshi called 相良村 (Sagara Mura) which contains a location with a name containing an improbable number of “kawas” - 川辺川河川敷 (improbably pronounced “Kawabegawa Kasenjiki” - we’ll report later on the difference between 川 and 河) - but that’s not the point.
Mari (below left) and Koro (right - I think; let’s face it: they look pretty much the same) are simply following their dream of becoming police dogs, but they both had the misfortune of being born toy poodles. While their larger canine brethren laughed at them, they trained and trained and yesterday took their test in 川辺川河川敷 which involved navigating an obstacle course and finding their handlers hidden in thick brush within 10 minutes (Mari did it in 10:30, Koro in 6:55). Toy poodle police dogs are rare in Japan, and if these two pass (results will be released in March), they’ll be the first in Kumamoto and will begin work in April.
A police official said that the Kumamoto quakes have demonstrated the need for small dogs able to navigate the cramped spaces of collapsed buildings to alert their handlers of survivors. Standard poodles were originally bred as retrievers, and their diminutive cousins retrain that trait, so perhaps it is not as improbable as it seems. Dog speed, Mari and Koro! - William