ON THE DRUGS TRAIL

JAY loves drugs. Marijuana, methamphetamine, ecstacy...anything she can find.

And in just over two months she's found plenty.

On Thursday it was seven hits of the rampant drug P.

The 2-year-old labrador-cross is doing a "great job" for the Waikato dog
section and has found bagloads of drugs in the 80-plus jobs she's attended
since May.

Jay's handler, Constable Keith Mitchell, says the milky-white-brown canine
is a natural:

"If there's drugs there (at a property) she will find it. It's like chasing
a ball for her and wherever it is she'll get it.

"She'll jump up on benches, tables, on top of drawers and top bunks."

But Mr Mitchell says Jay's no "druggie".

"Despite what people think, they're not addicts. We've taught her to
associate things she likes with narcotics," he said.

"So we leave a toy she likes next to some cannabis so it toy) gets its
smell. So when she finds drugs it's like a big game for her and she knows
if she finds anything we'll have a big play with her afterwards."

Finding Jay was a "big relief" for Mr Mitchell, who has been through half a
dozen dogs in the past year.

"A lot of them didn't have the drive," he says.

A former dog handler at the Rotorua pound saw Jay had potential as a police
dog so phoned the Rotorua dog section, which offered her to Hamilton.

Mr Mitchell, a former national dog handling champion in 1999 and a
runner-up in 2000 and 2001, is slowly getting used to working with a
smaller dog and not chasing crooks behind a leash.

"It's different but it's still physical. During searches I'm involved in
clearing the house before we bring the dog in so I'm still doing a fair bit
of hands-on police work."

Mr Mitchell's former champion dog, Zorba, is now his family pet but is
reluctant to let Jay steal the spotlight.

"He tolerates Jay," said Mr Mitchell.

"Every morning when I open up the back of the van to go to work Zorba waits
there hoping he's going to work. But I take Jay instead."