A police dog became the hero of Tiexinqiao Police Station in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province yesterday.

Dark Leopard, a two and a half year old German Shepherd, has helped officers capture eight suspected criminals in less than two years, said Li Zhigang, who works at the police station.

Last year, Dark Leopard found three thieves stealing industrial raw materials from a local enterprise, Li said.

The dog barked and fought bravely but one of the thieves broke the dog's leg with a stick.

Despite the pain, Dark Leopard would not let go of the thief's clothes until human officers came to arrest him.

Dark Leopard belongs to a team of 11 dogs whose duty it is to guard enterprises.

In order to let pupils better understand their work, Tiexinqiao police often invite pupils to visit their station.

In related news, Tibetan mastiffs will be widely used as riot police dogs in the country, Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday.

Big, brave, strong, faithful and vigilant, the Tibetan mastiffs will make ideal police dogs, officials from the Ministry of Public Security said.

(China Daily November 30, 2005)