Five cute police dog puppies have been officially named, after children were given the special honour of choosing what each would be called.
The new canine recruits from the NSW Police Dog Unit, are also known as 'Z' litter - so naturally their names all begin with the letter 'Z'.
Two male pups are now known as Zorro and Zoom, and the females are Zara, Zala and Zoe.
Zorro was a popular choice among the kids for being a "strong warrior name", and Zoom was chosen as the one who could run fast and catch "baddies."
Zoe, meaning "life" also has significant meaning to the Police Dog Unit, as one of the first ever canine recruits was given the same name in 1932 when the unit was formed.
Patients from Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, were given a list of suggested names in February. After researching each one, they voted on their favourites, and results were tallied.
Now that they have titles to go by, the German Shepherd pups will begin their training as general purpose dogs.
Dog Unit Commander, Superintendent Steve Egginton says the Dog Unit has a long and proud history within the NSW Police Force and the naming ceremony marks the start of their journey in the pack.
“Over eight decades ago, the Dog Unit began with only a few dogs, one of which was Zoe the German Shepherd, so it is a real honour to have the names selected by the children and once again represented in the unit,” he said.
“From today, the puppies will start training with their new names, and will no doubt go on to serve the community proudly.”
“We are extremely grateful to the girls and boys for playing such an important role in choosing the names for our new puppies,” Patron of the NSW Police Dog Unit, Andrea Fuller, said.
“Every new litter plays an incredibly important role in helping our officers fight crime, and it was a real privilege to share this experience with the children."
