A dog handler holds police dog Aldo on November 9, 2011 at the Bordeaux city hall. – AFP

BORDEAUX (France): A French police dog credited with sniffing out 1,700 drugs suspects was on Wednesday decorated with a medal for bravery and dedication at a ceremony in the southwestern city of Bordeaux.

Aldo, a Belgian Malinois sheepdog, has been behind 1,700 arrests since he started working for the Bordeaux police department in 2006 — almost one a day — and 475 arrests this year alone. “Aldo is a police dog with an absolutely remarkable career,” said regional police chief Patrick Stefanini.

Regional public security official Pierre-Marie Bourniquel said that less than a dozen police dogs had been decorated in France.

Aldo’s handler Didier Hude did not receive a medal. – AFP