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Want to combine your interest in law enforcement with your love of dogs? Consider becoming a police- or military-dog handler, U.S. customs inspector, or arson-dog handler. Police dogs and their handlers track missing people, help control crowds, search for explosives or illegal drugs, chase criminals, and guard prisoners. In the military, dogs and their handlers are responsible for guarding bases and aircraft hangars, locating land mines and other explosives, and searching for casualties. Customs dogs and their handlers work at seaports and airports to seek out contraband such as drugs and food products being brought into the country illegally. Arson-dog handlers determine whether fires were set deliberately. Dog handlers may also patrol and guard property or provide security at events.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer at the Canine Enforcement Training Center teaches a detector dog to search a car trunk.

Although these jobs can be dangerous, they’re also challenging and exciting, which can make them attractive. They may or may not require a college degree, but all require at least a high-school diploma. Competition for dog-handling jobs may be high, but the growth of employment for police in general is expected to grow as fast as the average, approximately 10 percent, through 2018. Layoffs are rare in this industry, and trained law-enforcement officers are always in demand, especially if they have a skill such as dog handling. Opportunities are best in local police departments rather than in state police or federal law-enforcement agencies. Applicants with a college education in law enforcement will be most desirable.