BEIJING, Nov 18: An elite group of police guard dogs specially trained for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games made their first public appearance on Saturday -- at a car show.

“This dog has never seen so many people, so he's a bit nervous today,” one policeman told Reuters, as the animal was surrounded by fascinated Chinese reporters all snapping pictures. “Hopefully he'll do a bit better in 2008.”

Six dogs would be patrolling at the Beijing auto show, which runs through Nov. 27, he said.

“This will of course give criminals pause for thought,” he added.

With fewer than two years to go before the opening ceremony, Beijing is keen to show that it can host a world-class event and protect the safety of the hundreds of thousands of athletes and spectators expected to attend.

Previous Games have been marred by violence. A bomb at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics killed one person and wounded more than 100, while at the 1972 Munich Games 11 Israelis died in an attack by Palestinian gunmen and a botched rescue attempt.

Seeking to prevent similar problems in 2008, Beijing has trained a top force of some 150 police who are experts in martial arts, counter-terrorism, riot control -- and handling dogs trained to jump through open car windows and wrest weapons from people, among other skills.—Reuters