A wild pig was allowed to continue function as a civil servant in the police department of Saxony state in West Germany. Popularly known by the name as Luise, this female pig’s services as a drug sniffer, were terminated because there were no regulations in State laws to providing employment to a pig or other animals in the canine corps. The entire canine corps is constituted by dogs trained to do the same job, which Luise did very effectively for a considerable length of time. The employment of a pig in the state police dept. was viewed by many as a mockery and various jokes ran in the dept. This forced the head of the drug squad to terminate her job saying, “Sniffer dogs would expose us to less ridicule as compared to swines.”
For Luise’s numerous sympathizers, this move violated the equal rights policy of the state. Angered by this move, her supporters raised their voice against the cruelty and forced the Lower Saxony Prime Minister to intervene. “Luises services should not be terminated,” he said, “in recognition of her services rendered in the past.” This ruling led to the end to various barbeque jokes and indecent daily remarks.
After struggling so long, Luise now is hired as a civil servant for the rest of her life, enjoying the same status a police dog and now she carries the official title of, “Public service pig.”
Article extracted from this publication >> December 27, 1985
