A golden retriever named Goose is one of America’s most reliable defenders of fentanyl trafficking at the Mexican border.
Goose uses his nose to sniff out illegal drugs at San Diego’s sprawling legal border crossing, where about 100,000 people enter the United States each day.
The golden retriever is one of 536 U.S. Customs and Border Protection dogs trained to detect drugs, guns, ammunition, money and hidden passengers at America’s land border crossings, airports and ports. Reuters reported..
Customs agents at CBP’s Canine Academy in Front Royal, Virginia, are paired with dogs trained to sniff out marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, ecstasy and fentanyl by stuffing chew toys with “pseudo narcotics” that smell like real drugs.
Dogs in the program typically include German shepherds, Labrador retrievers, Dutch shepherds and German shorthaired pointers, said Donna Sifford, director of the academy. In addition to Goose, there are three golden retrievers taking part.
Despite other ways to target potential smugglers, such as technology that allows CBP to scan vehicles, dogs’ sense of smell remains essential for spotting fentanyl and other narcotics.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a tragic 75,000 people will die from synthetic opioid overdoses in the United States by 2023. According to Customs and Border Protection statistics, the majority of fentanyl seizures occur at legal border crossings in Arizona and California.
A dog’s excellent sense of smell could save a life.
“It’s like a biosensor,” Michael Gould, a founding member of the New York Police Department’s canine unit, told Reuters. “It’s really the best technology available right now.”
