Dog’s are such versatile creatures, not only as pets, but as working companions with the long arm of the law. Sniffer dogs that are highly trained are able to pinpoint contraband and illegal items and substances, drugs included, in the luggage of would be traffickers. Not only that, a dog’s nose is so sensitive, some of them have even been trained to sniff out cancer cells, now how about that? In one of the more recent news involving sniffer dogs, a suspect was arrested after he was discovered to be carrying a USB memory stick that had child sexual abuse images inside.
Rhode Island police’s latest pride and joy, Thoreau, completed a whopping 22 weeks of training that included sniffing out gadgets – in return for food as a reward, of course. There is one other US gadget-sniffing dog that is currently stationed in Connecticut, and does this particular bust justify the long and intense training that a dog has to go through? Perhaps, especially when you consider how such evidence garnered in the arrest might help the authorities locate and crack down on such child sexual abuse rings in the future.
According to Thoreau’s handler, Det Adam Houston, “If it has a memory card, he’ll sniff it out.” It remains to be seen if Thoreau is able to tell the difference between a memory stick and other electrical equipment such as a remote control, computer, or radio.
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