Cops (and other police video shows)
For close to 20 years Fox has shown the weekly show, “Cops” and since then there have been many spin-offs (best police chases, best police videos, etc..) and quite often you see the K9 officer being involved (nothing beats a video of a K9 taking down a criminal). 
From what I’ve seen, the vast majority of these K9s are either German shepherds or Belgian malinois. In all the years of watching Cops, I think I can count on one hand the number of non-malinois and non-GSD K9 units in the show (once I did see a Dobie and it was interesting to watch).
Why GSDs and malinois? These two breeds are easily trained (both being very intelligent), have stamina to be able to work a long day, are herding dogs (so they are very attentive and protective to their “pack” (meaning the K9 handler)), have a relatively long working life span (roughly 7-10 years for a GSD, 10-15 years for a malinois), can be very powerful (their size, the momentum they can build up while running, and powerful bites), plus the sight of a good example of these breeds can be extremely intimidating.
Don’t think these two breeds are killers – they make great pets (GSDs are far easier than malinois, though) and raised correctly they can be a very loyal companion to any family.
Millennium – Beware of the Dogs
The second episode of the second season of the TV show Millennium was “Beware of the Dogs” and featured a pack of “wild” dogs that seemed to be attacking people in a town. These “attack” dogs were nothing more than a pack of well trained Belgian malinois (ak.k.a Belgian shepherds).
Malinois (or “Mals” amongst the breed fanciers) are an extremely versatile breed. They are herding dogs, family companions, protectors, and hard working dogs. There aren’t many fields that a mal could not easily excel in with the right trainer. Their intelligence and loyalty to their “pack” (family) along with their primal and intense look make them the perfect breed for hard work including police and military work worldwide. Israel only uses malinois in their military and may police departments in the USA use many, if not all, malinois with their K9 units. Only the German shepherd can come close to competing with the malinois. Continue reading
Stargate SG-1: Emancipation
The third episode of the first season of Stargate SG-1 featured the episode “Emancipation”. When the team first exists the gate, they hear dogs barking and later see a boy being chased, and later attacked by a series of dogs. The team rescues the boy form his attackers with a few shots of their guns into the air. Continue reading