Chihuahua is short arm of the paw

JAPANESE police have welcomed their latest canine recruit - a long-haired Chihuahua named "Momo" or "Peach" in English.

In what is a first for Japan and perhaps the world, Momo this week passed exams to become a police dog in the western Japanese prefecture of Nara.

Momo was one of 32 successful candidates out of 70 dogs, passing a search-and-rescue test by finding a person in five minutes after sniffing their cap.

"Any breed of dog can be entered to become a police dog in the search and rescue division," said a Nara police spokesman.

But he admitted that news a Chihuahua had been entered may still come as a surprise to many. "It's quite unusual," he said.

Television footage showed seven-year-old Momo bounding across grass or sitting proudly.

Momo will be used for rescue operations in case of disasters such as earthquakes, in the hope she may be able to squeeze into places too narrow for more usual rescue dogs, which tend to be German Shepherds.