WOMAN SAYS CUSTOMS DOG HAS BAD SNIFFER

A Canada Customs drug-sniffing dog is a dope that can't get its grass
straight, says Rebecca Wolfchild.

But Customs officials doggedly insist their four-legged helper had the
goods on Wolfchild when it sat down beside her at the Calgary International
Airport Oct. 7.

That's supposed to be a cue to the dog's handlers it found drugs or
explosives, but Wolfchild says the animal likely mistook the odor of
ceremonial sweetgrass for something a lot more sinister.

And Wolfchild, a contractor doing renovations at the airport, says the
mixup has cost her three weeks' work after Customs officials -- without
searching her -- told her she couldn't enter secure areas of the airport.

"I told them they're welcome to look through my clothes and our bags but
they said their dog was 99.9 percent accurate and they didn't have to,"
said Wolfchild, 30, adding she's never done drugs or associated with those
who have.

Canada Customs spokesman Gordon Luchia said they're prohibited from
searching someone unless they're an inbound passenger.

Reflecting on how she might have drawn the canine's attention, Wolfchild
said her daily morning burning of sweetgrass, used to spiritually purify,
might have fooled the dog.

"People have come into my home and said the sweetgrass smells like
marijuana," said Wolfchild, a Dene originally from the Northwest
Territories. "My security status and reputation have been compromised," she
said.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski