"Customs Honors Working Dogs"

These are just some of the pictures in a recent article in the Daily Herald about Customs Working Dogs

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CBP officer Kim Der-Yeghiayan and Yosemite, her canine currency detector dog, check for cash in a car

CBP officer Tad Dennis and narcotics detection dog Indy, find hashish hidden in a computer box. Authorities say a detection dog can find hidden drugs in minutes, versus the hours it may take officers to go though a warehouse.

Gidget, an agricultural product detector dog, expects a treat after finding a salami in luggage during the demonstration.

This is the article written by Peter McGrain a writer for Daily Herald.

Indy, an 8-year-old Dutch shepherd, scrambles up a pallet of cardboard boxes in a large Rosemont warehouse and scratches furiously at a cardboard computer box.

After 15 seconds, she's in the box. She finds what piques her interest; a small amount of hashish.
Canine officer Tad Dennis pulls out a towel and rewards her with a riveting game of tug of war.
The Chicago Customs and Border Protection Canine Enforcement Program marked its 40th anniversary with a demonstration of the field training and exercises dogs go through to prepare them for the demanding job.For the dogs, search and seizure is a fun game, but for Chicago Customs and Border Protection it's a serious matter. The well-trained dogs help discover illegal drugs, hidden currency, firearms and even smuggled wildlife. Their handlers say the dogs are a great, cost-efficient way to discover contraband.
"What took Indy 30 seconds to find would have taken eight officers half a day to find," said Dennis.
Indy is a positive response dog, which means she is trained to respond enthusiastically when she discovers something. Positive response dogs are trained for work in closed warehouses like the training facility at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility in Rosemont.
Yosemite, a 5-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, is the opposite. Yosemite is a passive response dog, trained to discover hidden currency and firearms.
When he finds something of interest, Yosemite sits calmly. His handler, Officer Kim Der-Yeghiayan, will then investigate. Der-Yeghiayan pulls back the fabric of the trunk of the car Yosemite is sitting in and finds thousands of dollars, and rewards Yosemite with a game.
"Dogs have an ability to compartmentalize the odors that they smell," said David Murphy, director of field operations for Chicago Customs and Border Protection. Murphy himself was a canine officer for 14 years. Because dogs can separate the odors they are trained to find from other odors, it makes most efforts to disguise contraband from a dog's highly sensitive nose futile.
The canine unit discovers more than drugs, guns, and money. Highly trained beagles and beagle mixes in the agricultural detection unit discover food, plants, and even live animals being smuggled into the country.
Gidget, a 4-year-old beagle and Jack Russell terrier mix, easily uncovers an apple and salami hidden in a pile of luggage, and receives a treat from officer Anita Hartmann.
"Beagles are well-suited for this work because they don't scare people and can maneuver through crowds. They have one of the best noses for smelling and have a really high food drive," said Hartmann.
Dogs will typically train for three to four months before beginning field work. After completing training, the dogs typically serve until they turn 9 or 10, when they are retired. Many of the handlers will adopt the dog they have spent years working with.
"I grew up on a farm and love animals. Working with animals is all I've ever wanted to do," says Der-Yeghiayan. Her retired partner, a beagle, lives with her at home.
When looking for new recruits, U.S. Customs and Border Protection looks to vendors, animal shelters and their own canine facility at Front Royal, Va.
One in 500 dogs will pass a pretest that looks for a strong play drive - and courage when around running vehicles