The Finnish Kennel Club introduces Government Working Dogs of 2022: customs dog Hessu, military dog Oikku, prison dog Hippi, police dog Sampo, and border guard dog Clapton

All Government Working Dogs of the Year have served with merit in their duties assisting people. Government Working Dogs of 2022 receive their awards at an award ceremony at Koiramessut – Dog Fair Finland in Messukeskus, Expo and Convention Centre Helsinki on 2nd December 2022 at 14:30.

Customs Dog of the Year 2022

Customs Dog of the Year 2022 is Labrador Retriever Hietsun Legenda ”Hessu”. He works at the Airport Customs at Helsinki-Vantaa airport together with his handler, Customs Inspector Jani Laiho. 6,5-year-old Hessu is trained to search narcotics.

This year, Hessu has kept up with his excellent performance from past years with different narcotic smuggling cases. Hessu is his handler’s first government working dog. They have been a motivated and enthusiastic team already during upbringing and training and have developed into a professional team for the Finnish Customs.

Military Dog of the Year 2022

Military Dog of the Year 2022 is Labrador Retriever Juupelin Super-Oikku ”Oikku”. 8-year-old Oikku and his handler, Senior Chief Petty Officer Mikko Majuri, work at the Coastal Fleet, Pansio base. Oikku is a special search dog, trained to detect explosives and weapons.

Oikku is an active and hard worker and has performed countless explosive searches over the years, both at security checks of the Finnish Defence Forces and as executive assistance to other authorities. Oikku’s work ethic is unyielding and the quality of his work has always been irreproachable. Oikku has also been an invincible help when it comes to developing the use of explosive detection dogs in marine environments.

Prison Dog of the Year 2022

Prison Dog of the Year 2022 is Belgian Shepherd Dog Malinois Suhteellisen Hiprakka ”Hippi”. She works at Hämeenlinna Prison together with her handler, Guard Anitta Lindholm. 3,5-year-old Hippi is trained to search narcotics as well as weapons and parts of weapons. Hippi is the first Belgian Shepherd Dog Malinois to work as a prison dog in Finland.

Hippi is a young and progressive prison dog, she is enthusiastic, active and has good work ethic. Lindholm is an experienced handler of government working dogs and has a hard-working and helpful nature. Together with Hippi, they form an excellent team for Prison and Probation Service of Finland.

Police Dog of the Year 2022

Police Dog of the Year 2022 is Labrador Retriever Hakukoneen Hashtag ”Sampo”. He works at Vaasa main police station together with his handler, Senior Constable Jari Niemi. 6-year-old Sampo is trained to search money, narcotics, and weapons. He is also trained for tracking as well as object and person detection.

During his career, Sampo has found numerous firearms and instruments of crimes, many different narcotics as well as a substantial amount of money. With his handler, Sampo has also saved several people that have gone lost in the terrain. Some of them have been in critical condition when found, and their survival have depended on Sampo and his nose. This widely experienced team is always ready to take on any job, no matter what the conditions and location.

Border Guard Dog of the Year 2022

Border Guard Dog of the Year 2022 is German Shepherd Tuntemattoman Isosomppi ”Clapton”. 4-year-old Clapton and his handler, Senior Coast Guard Sampsa Könönen, work at Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District and are stationed at Porkkala coastguard station. Clapton is trained for all sorts of person detection, in addition to which he is also trained for narcotic detection and crime scene investigation.

Last year, Clapton stopped an illegal entry where people had hidden on an axle of a truck trailer. The dangerous hiding place could have been fatal for the people if Clapton had not found them. During covid, Clapton has performed border control searches and has found both people and narcotics from heavy traffic entering the country.

Photos on Government Working Dogs of the Year 2022 can be found in the Finnish Kennel Club’s Media Bank.

Presentation videos on Government Working Dogs of the Year 2022 can be found here.

For more information:

The Finnish Kennel Club’s Communications Department
viestinta@kennelliitto.fi

Customs dog:
Anu Rantama
anu.rantama@tulli.fi
Finnish Customs

Prison dog:
Jaana Saaristo
jaana.saaristo@om.fi
Prison and Probation Service of Finland

Police dog:
Chief Inspector Matti Tiainen
matti.p.tiainen@poliisi.fi
Ostrobothnia Police Department

Border guard dog:
Marjo Peni
marjo.peni@raja.fi
Finnish Border Guard