'Racist sniffer dog must die'

A councillor in a small Pennsylvanian town has accused the borough's sole police dog of racial profiling, and wants it put down.

Wanda Jones Dixon told a council meeting at McKees Rocks, outside Pittsburgh, that Dolpho the German Shepherd sniffer dog had bitten a nine-year-old black boy.

She said she had received six complaints about the dog in the past year, three from black people who believed race was involved.

Some canine psychologists argue that lack of exposure to people of different appearance could prejudice dogs, as it does humans.

Other people dispute this, arguing that eyesight is one of a dog's weaker senses.

The local chief of police, Robert Martineau, dismissed the claim that Dolpho was a racist as "ludicrous".

The dog has been removed from active duty pending an investigation.