PRISONERS LICKED

Dog Successfully Sniffs Out Contraband In Jails

DRUMHELLER -- Zoom has found them hidden in chocolate bars, concealed
in boxes of clothing detergent, stuffed in pillows, bags and balloons
or in the soles of shoes.

His habit of hounding - searching inmate cells and visitors - has
uncovered everything from weapons and ammunition to drugs from crack
cocaine to meth, marijuana, ecstasy and heroin.

The Correctional Service Canada detection dog recognizes more than a
dozen drugs and can sniff out weapons, ammunition and cellphones that
have traces of drugs on them, which they often do.

But the three-year-old Lab, with about a year on the job at
Drumheller Penitentiary, was far from a born natural.

"He started green, with no experience," said his handler, Aaron Lang.

"I was a little intimidated at first. The first thing he did was jump
up and bite the glasses off my face."

The two soon bonded, however, and are together 24-7, searching
visitors to the jail, inmate cells as well as doing searches at
border crossings, the Calgary airport and jails across Canada.

And Zoom, who was first groomed to be a seeing eye dog but didn't
make the grade, excels at the job.

"We're busy everyday making busts," 33-year-old Lang said.

"The more I run across, the more they try to hide stuff, the better
it is - it's like a big game of hide-and-seek for me, and I look
forward for more ways to try to train this dog so he can find it."

Just last month, containers packed with drugs, cellphones and tobacco
were likely thrown over the fence of Drumheller Penitentiary under
cover of darkness.

Lang has a no-touch policy when it comes to his work partner.

"He's not a pet, just a tool," he said.

"People really, really want to pet him but they have seen the work he
does and respect the fact he can't be touched."

Even on a slow day, when nothing is found, the high-energy pooch gets
all the attention he needs, with Lang planting drugs for Zoom to find.

"The basic rule is every 30 minutes of searching he will get a reward
for the work he's done," Lang said.

The pair are one of about 38 teams across the country working for
Correctional Service Canada.