P.G. RCMP Canines to Undergo Fentanyl Training
Prince George, B.C.- Three of the four narcotics sniffing Police Service dogs with the Prince George RCMP detachment will soon be undergoing training to detect fentanyl.
So far, the RCMP’s dog training centre in Innisfail Alberta, has trained 30 dogs to detect the deadly drug, and most of those trained dogs are stationed in B.C. “That number is changing every week” says Staff Sergeant Erik Stebenne a Senior Trainer at the Innisfail facility ” as we are training more and more dogs and dog handlers in the field with the RCMP throughout the country.”
He says the three drug sniffing dogs with the Prince George Detachment will be heading to Innisfail in May to be trained in fentanyl detection.
The training involves introducing the dogs to the fentanyl scent , by diluting the powerful drug in a liquid. That way the dogs won’t actually inhale the drug. But in the field, the drug is not diluted for safety, Staff Sergeant Stebenne says there are a few things that are done to ensure the dogs and their handlers are safe in the field ” One of which is, our dogs strictly provide passive indication, so when they 
(At right, dog being trained on fentanyl detection, gives a ‘sit’ confirmation – image courtesy RCMP)
He says while there is still a chance the animal, or its handler, could come in contact with airborne particles which could pose a health risk, every dog handler in the field has naloxone nasal spray with them “That naloxone nasal spray is as effective on dogs as it is on humans. There is also no side effect to administering naloxone so if a dog is suspected of being exposed to fentanyl, there is nothing wrong with administering naloxone.”
The training has already paid off, with one major drug bust in B.C. last fall. “Through a traffic stop one of our dogs trained in fentanyl detection indicated the presence of narcotic and twelve thousand pills of fentanyl were located concealed and hidden in the vehicle.”
Staff Sergeant Stebenne says adding the fentanyl to the dog’s drug sniffing repertoire is not that difficult “As long as the dog is trained already in narcotic detection, so the mechanics are in place, the processes are in place to actually introduce a new odour can be , a lot of our dogs, after two or three searches, will be very familiar with the odour,. That odour will be imprinted into their brain and we’ll be able to locate the new introduced odour thereafter. So it really doesn’t take long.”
Eventually all narcotics sniffing dogs within the RCMP canine units across the country will be trained in fentanyl detection.
Comments
It takes such a small amount of Fentanyl to overdose, would that not be a danger to those dogs who might get some up their noses when they are “sniffing” out this stuff?
ht tps://www.statnews.com/2016/09/29/fentanyl-heroin-photo-fatal-doses/
Read the article, your questions will be answered
BH, read it again, they are careful, interesting that Naloxone works the same on dogs. A vet on the island used this on a dog recently. Out of all the sections in the Force, this one is my all time favorite, those dogs and handlers rock!
Dogs are the ones that get to do the justice when somebody runs! I have seen the proof many times. They make up for the rubber toothed justice system! Go team go!
Yeah, and they don’t get charged with assault, love it. Dumber than dumb is a bandaged prisoner. LOL!
It is NOT the job, the responsibility, nor the mandate, of law enforcement to mete out justice or punishment using a dogs fangs, or any other method of inflicting pain.
Justice is dispensed by our judicial system, that is it’s role and mandate. Last time I checked, we do not live in a police state!
What a stern reprimand! But it’s so much fun when a loser decides to run when there’s a dog available. Been there, done that, LOL!
The best part of watching Cops is some loser trying to outrun a dog after a car chase. Chomp, chomp!!
Our ‘judicial system’ is a joke! I worked that field for many many years and even the criminals know it is a joke and use it to their advantage along with lawyers! Tell someone that lost their child to a senseless act and they would agree with me. Far as I am concerned using the dogs to stop a criminal from running is a good thing, not good enough for my liking. As for a police state, never happen due to all the liberalists that cry and snivel about rights being violated, until something happens to their loved ones. Then their tune will change. Getting off the subject, but dogs are integral to the system, and if they get to chew on some criminal skin all the more power! LOL
“Getting off the subject, but dogs are integral to the system, and if they get to chew on some criminal skin all the more power! LOL”
How can you assume it is criminal skin the police dog is biting into when that person is only being apprehended? A person is not automatically a criminal just because the RCMP is apprehending them. After he/she is arrested, the person must be charged with a crime, even then that person is not a criminal. The alleged criminal must be found guilty by a judge or jury before they are considered to be a criminal.
So Lien, who made you; judge, jury, and executioner, when it comes to calling someone a criminal when they are being apprehended by the RCMP?
Oh Peeps, you’re just about as whiny as David Eby, formerly of the BC Civil Liberties Association! In case I’m not being abundantly clear, that’s pretty darn whiny!
Seldom is there a problem when the police apprehend someone, however there is a greater chance of a problem if …..
..if the police tell you to stop and you chose not to!
..if the police tell you drop whatever it is that you might be holding in your hand or hands, and you chose not to!
..if the police tell you to lay down, and you chose not to!
..if the police tell you to put your hands behind your back, and you chose not to!
So Peeps, if you chose to ignore the words of a Policy Officer who is just doing his or her job and instead you chose to be confrontational or to run, then don’t be surprised to see 100 pounds or more of Canine Police Officer Fido bearing down on you and don’t expect to see much sympathy from the VAST majority of us for the chunk of flesh that Fido rips out of your sorry butt!
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