Mass. State Police Dog Can Sniff Out Hidden Electronics
FRAMINGHAM (CBS) -- You may have heard of dogs that can search for drugs or explosives, but the newest K-9 recruit to the Massachusetts State Police has a very special skill.
Winnie is one of fewer than 10 dogs in the nation that can sniff out hidden electronic devices. She's a beautiful two-year-old yellow Labrador retriever who seems to adore her handler, Trooper Chris MacDonald. That's a good thing, since they're together 24/7 and constantly training.
"Every day, we're together every day," MacDonald said. "We'll go to different spots, could be a neighbor's house, could be a building somewhere. I'll hide devices. She doesn't know the difference between when we're training and when we're working an actual search."
When it's time to eat, he hides devices for her to find, and feeds her as a reward. MacDonald said labs are well-suited to this type of work.
"They're food-reward dogs, they're hand-fed," said MacDonald. "She has to work to eat."
Winnie was trained by Guiding Eyes for the Blind before receiving special puppy training and then being sent to Connecticut State Police to learn how to hunt for hidden electronics.
Winnie will be working for the Mass. State Police Computer Crimes Unit now.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones reports