POLICE DOG EXHIBITS HIS SKILLS

Debbie Steele can be reached at (706) 863-6165, ext. 109, or at
ccchron@augustachronicle.com.

Blitz has a keen sense of smell. In fact, the 10-year-old police dog can
smell four different odors at one time.

And if drugs are around, the German shepherd is sure to find them.

Blitz's handler, Sgt. Mike Riley with the Columbia County Sheriff's
Office's K-9 Unit, said the dog's biggest find has been 27 pounds of
marijuana during a Georgia State Patrol traffic stop on Interstate 20.

Pupils at Evans Middle School got to see just how intelligent Blitz is
Friday in a demonstration to cap Red Ribbon Week.

``If you were to put drugs in a big coffee can and hide it, he could find
it,'' Sgt. Riley said. ``His sense of smell is 45 to 100 times greater than
a human's.''

Blitz proved that he can indeed find drugs when he quickly went to a box
that had just 20 grams of marijuana in it.

The box had been placed on the school's football field along with three
other boxes in an effort to test his skills.

``We want the people to know we've got the dogs, and they're designed to do
what they do,'' Sgt. Riley said, noting that the county had six dogs in its
K-9 unit. The dogs cost between $5,000 and $7,000 each.

``We find lost children all the time,'' Sgt. Riley told a group of
students. ``If they get lost and we come find them, then these dogs have
paid for themselves. The return on them, we think, is well worth the effort
and time.''

All six of the county's dogs are originally from Europe and are recertified
as often as possible. Blitz, the oldest K-9 owned by the county, is one of
two purchased using county funds. The other four dogs were purchased
through private donations.

Sgt. Riley, a 10-year veteran of the Columbia County Sheriff's Office,
encouraged the youngsters to ``know who you're riding with. You best know
who your friends are. Just know that for every decision you make, there's a
price to pay for it. Somehow you are going to have to answer for it.''

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski