DIXIE TAKING BITE OUT OF LORIS DRUG DEALINGS

LORIS -- Her tea-colored eyes stare intently at the white object in Jeff
Gore's hand, slightly tucked behind his right leg. As her eyes follow his
hand, she doesn't flinch a muscle when he waves the bone over her head.
Gore tossed the bone into the air and Dixie, an 18-month-old black Labrador
and the newest member of the Loris Police Department, leapt to catch it.
Her wagging tail fanned a breeze outside the department's brick building as
she lunged at Gore and tossed the bone between his feet. She returned to
her alert position ready for the game of fetch to begin again. The playful
dog doesn't indicate her abilities to track fleeing felons or sniff out
narcotics and weapons. Dixie was recently certified to find marijuana and
crack cocaine, said Gore, the dog's handler. "She sits for drugs and will
lay down for guns," Gore said. "There's been word from some of the bad guys
that she wouldn't find a bag of flour.

We're looking for more than flour.

She's doing all the work, I'm just following her around." Loris Police
Chief Herbert Blake gives Dixie the credit for decreasing an "open market
of drug dealing" along streets such as Jenrette, Maple and Spring during
her month on the streets of Loris. "There's been a change simply because
we've increased visibility in how we police.

The visibility of a trained drug dog is icing on the cake," Blake said.
"Just the fact she's here has made a difference in deterrence." Gore said
residents also are calling police to alert them to drug problems. "Already
I can see a difference because I've already covered a good amount of
drugs," he said. "If we can keep one kid from overdosing then it's worth
it." The department obtained the dog "at practically no cost to the city"
because it was adopted from the Humane Society in Sumter County and donated
by Maysville Police Chief Paul McCombs, Blake said. Other costs for
necessities such as food and veterinarian care are also donated to the
department, Gore said. One concerned citizen has inquired about raising
money to purchase a bulletproof vest for Dixie, he said. "The citizens are
paying for the dog just by calling in here and saying they want to do
things like that. They want her here," Gore said. Gore, an avid hunter,
already had three Labrador dogs when he added Dixie to his family.

At home, Dixie relinquishes her police duties to play with Gore's
3-year-old daughter, he said. "She's the best baby-sitter we've ever had,"
he said. Dixie isn't the only dog coming to the area. Myrtle Beach police
plan to obtain an explosive detector and tracking dog for a new canine
unit, Chief Warren Gall said. Officials are in the early stages of planning
and recently received the approval to acquire a dog, he said. Gall
estimated the start-up costs for the unit between $10,000 to $15,000. Both
agencies say their dogs will be available for programs in local schools.