Powder mix-up fools sniffer dogs
Dogs can be vital to police work, but only if they know what to sniff for
(news today)
A team of Australian drug sniffer dogs has been sent back for retraining, after it was found they could only track talcum powder, not cocaine.
Melbourne police found that the white powder used to hone the dogs’ nostrils was not in fact an illegal substance.
A probe is now under way to see whether any illicit drugs have gone missing.
“They’re very good at detecting talcum powder,” joked Assistant Commissioner Paul Evans. “If there’s any missing kids, we’ll find them fairly quickly.”
Well, as Uncle Pavlov explained ‘We’re all salivating at some thought or other, but are we sure it’s not just talcum powder?”
Or did dog-handler K.Rove switch the power-powder on his programmed sniffer?
